The Minority caucus in Parliament has called for the immediate suspension of a 10-year contract between the Finance Ministry and Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) for revenue assurance services.
Addressing journalists on Monday, John Jinapor, Ranking Member on the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament described the contract as a “rip-off” and a “burden on taxpayers” designed to enrich “greedy politicians.”
He demanded its suspension until a probe by the minority caucus can investigate possible mismanagement.
“We do not believe that there is value for money, this contract is a rip-off, this contract only ends up filling the pockets of greedy politicians and individuals.
“We cannot allow the taxpayer to be burdened with such unnecessary contracts that only go a long way to fill the pockets of individuals, so we would advise, that immediately that contract should be suspended pending a parliamentary investigation. When we go into it and find out that all those allegations are true, we will ensure that this contract is abrogated.”
Mr Jinapor also raised concerns about a potential stall in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) due to Ghana’s failure to service its external debts.
Reports suggest the IMF board meeting to consider the second tranche of a crucial $3 billion credit facility has been delayed until January 11, 2024.
This delay, Jinapor warned, could seriously jeopardize the hard-won economic gains the government has achieved.
