The Ranking member of the Mines and Energy Committee in Parliament has raised red flags about the cost of the twin-tower Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company’s (BOST) new headquarters building in Accra.
The construction, which initially costed at $39 million has suddenly ballooned to $78 million, according to the Ranking member.
Speaking to the media in Parliament on Thursday, July 28, John Jinapor disclosed this scandalous discovery has exposed further the massive robbery going on in the NPP government.
He alleged the current management of BOST inflated the cost of the original contract without reasonable justification by the Public Procurement Authority (PPA).
He said, “If the two-tower building is accounted for based on the current cost of the single unit valued at $39,000,000.00. This means the building has been inflated by 100% over the original contract.”
“We say so because we have noted that the current Management of BOST decided to acquire only one of the twin-unit buildings due to the precarious financial position of the company. However, it applied to the Public Procurement Authority for approval to vary the original contract for the single unit from the original price of $19,500,000.00 per unit to a new cost of $24,000,000.00.”
“To our utmost shock and dismay, but of cause as usual of this government, the PPA without any reasonable justification in granting the approval hiked the contract sum to an inflated figure of $39,000,000.00 for a single unit when BOST could have originally constructed the twin-tower office at the original price of $39,000,000.00,” John Jinapor said.
According to him, the project has been padded and now the two would cost $78 million, which he stressed is a clear case of causing financial loss to the state.
“This is a project that should have been serving BOST and also augmenting their internally generated revenues because they would have rented some of the office space.”
“This is another PDS in the making! This is another Ameri in the making! This is another Moving Pena scandal in the making,” he added.
According to him, the energy sector under the Akufo-Addo government has become a pollution haven for regularizing corruption, inflation, favouritism and rusted nepotism.
Mr. Jinapor warned the Minority group will not accept anything short of an independent and credible investigation.
The side, he said, will remain vigilant and resolute in the quest to ensure they continue to monitor and prevent looting and plundering of scarce resources of the nation.
