Brouhaha over oil drill ship sale, WC trophy, Zuma visit reported in Ghana

30 Novembre 2013

LIBREVILLE, november 30 (Infosplusgabon)  -  The controversial sale of an oil drill ship in 2001, the tour of Ghana of the World Cup trophy and a three-day visit of South African president Jacob Zuma were some of the stories reported by the media in Ghana this week, Pana  reports.

The sale of the drill ship, Discoverer 511, belonging to the state-owned Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), has popped up at a commission investigating judgement debts paid out by the government and has become a topic for the spin doctors of the government and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), in whose administration the drill ship was sold.

During the week, three key actors in the drama – Albert Kan-Dapaah and Kwabena Hammond, Energy and Deputy Energy minister respectively under the NPP government, and Tsatsu Tsikata, former GNPC boss - gave evidence before Appeals Court judge Yaw Apau, the sole commissioner investigating judgement debts.

“’Sale of drill ship justified’ but US$3.5m still unaccounted for,” was the headline of the state-owned Graphic.

It said two ministers in the NPP administration justified the sale of the drill ship describing it as a prudent decision to rescue the ailing GNPC from financial distress but Tsikata condemned it.

“I am convinced, as I sit here, that there was no single bad decision taken in that matter,” Kan-Dapaah, told the Judgement Debt Commission in Accra on Monday

Hammond on his part said: “My Lord, we did everything humanly possible to ensure that this thing was done in the best interest of the country.”

The Graphic reported that the two former ministers could not, however, tell the Commission the whereabouts of the US$3.5 million from the sale meant to be paid into government chest.

Whereas Kan-Dapaah requested the Commission to direct that question to the Controller and Accountant-General who is responsible for signing government cheques, Hammond dropped a document which, he claimed, contained clues to the money.

The NPP government sold the GNPC drill ship for US$24 million to offset the Corporation’s indebtedness to French Bank, Societé Générale.

Zuma said since South Africa was the largest economy in Africa, it had the responsibility to lead the effort at promoting trade among countries on the continent.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/UOP/GABON 2013

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