Richghanaonline.com

Former president John Mahama has been accused of causing financial loss to the state to a tune of GHC23 million.

This follows his call for the release of vehicles purchased in 2016 to the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU). The Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) has revealed that the purchase of the buses during Mahama’s tenure as president cost the state GH¢ 23,396,074.48 According to MASLOC, the stated loss is the total of over-invoicing and deferred tax.

MASLOC made this known in a statement in reaction to a recent call from Mahama, asking MASLOC to release to the vehicles that were purchased in 2016. MASLOC said it viewed “the call by the former president as very unfortunate, misleading and a calculated attempt to dodge the fact that his administration provided a conducive environment for the perpetration of gross administrative anomalies

Per a report by Dailyguidenetwork.com, It disclosed that the Public Procurement Act (PPA) was utterly disregarded and not duly followed. According to the statement, during the procurement process, the vehicles were taken delivery of and commissioned by the former president on December 1, 2016, whereas the contract for procurement and supply of the vehicles was executed on the 6th of December, 2016.

It reported that the GPRTU has refused to take delivery of the vehicles solely because of the price. The vehicles, it says, have been rendered commercially unattractive due to the erroneous procurement procedure adopted for their purchase.

At present, the release added the open market prices for the vehicles are cheaper than the prices at which MASLOC is able to offer them