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The government has opened an in-depth investigation into the breaches found in the Power Distribution Services (PDS) concession agreement, which is expected to be completed within 30 days.
According to the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the investigation team includes experts in insurance investigations, officials of the Ministries of Energy and Finance and officials from the Ghana Electricity Corporation (ECG), as well as the Millennium Development Authority (MIDA).
"The investigation will determine the nature of the offenses and indicate the next steps suggested. On Tuesday, the team is expected to DOHA-Qatar as part of the investigation. All interested parties are cooperating with the investigation at this stage, "said the information minister at a press conference in Accra on Thursday, August 1.
He added that the investigation team was made up of insurance survey experts, officials from the Ministries of Energy and Finance and officials from the Ministry of Finance. ECG and MIDA.
The government has suspended the concession agreement with PDS, bringing ECG back to full control over the distribution of electricity.
The decision was taken after the government found fundamental and fundamental breaches of PDS's obligation to provide payment guarantees (demand guarantees) for the transaction that were discovered in subsequent audits.
Many people, including minority experts in Parliament and Energy, have asked that the government miss this critical aspect when signing the agreement.
Oppong Nkrumah said the investigation would determine the nature of the violations and provide guidance on suggested next steps.
"D here Tuesday, the team is expected to DOHA-Qatar as part of the investigation. All interested parties cooperate in the investigation at this stage. A second team was tasked with continuing to engage with the US government through its agency, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, "he said.
MP Ofoase Ayeribi said the engagement was about possible next steps after the survey and ways to share information in the context of this survey. This team should also visit the United States, possibly next week, as part of their commitment.
He added that the latest efforts to ensure a smooth transition between ECG and PDS officials are proceeding smoothly.
He revealed that the violation of the PDS had been discovered by the Ghanaian authorities with due diligence, through the ECG and with the support of state agencies.
"For the avoidance of doubt, the provision of the payment guarantee has always been a prerequisite and has never been replaced by a later condition, speculated by some people," he said.
In his opinion, the initial due diligence performed by the transaction advisers did not reveal any problem.
However, "the second-level controls (this time led by the Ghanaian side) initially gave rise to a response from Al-Koot confirming the guarantee.
"It's a third-level control done by Ghana that has detected anomalies within Al-Koot, thereby triggering a fourth-level check," Oppong Nkrumah said.
The fourth-level audit involved sending a first team from Ghana's mission to Qatar to engage with Al-Koot officials for verification.
This fourth level again proved the anomalies and suggested an unfortunate action that is now the subject of a large-scale investigation.
The government will inform all stakeholders of the results of the investigation and will proceed in accordance with the law and under the terms of the agreement, in the perspective of a final settlement of this case.
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