ASEPA petitions OSP to probe usage of US$560m World bank COVID-19 support

ASEPA wants special prosecutor to investigate COVID-19 loans by GEA

OSP must probe procurement of COVID-19 vaccine with US$130m WB fund, ASEPA

World Bank probe usage of US$560m

Read full articletarget='_blank' href='/GhanaHomePage/people/person.php?ID=3454'>COVID-19 support fund to Ghana

Civil society group, Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), has petitioned the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to probe the Ministry of Finance on the usage of the US$560m World Bank COVID-19 support.

According to ASEPA, the probe is necessary because of the lack of transparency by the government on the usage of the funds it received from the World Bank to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Ghana’s economy.

It added that the probe was also necessary because government has introduced taxes and increased utility tariffs to raise funds to pay for the COVID-19 relief it gave Ghanaians even though it received money from the World Bank.

In a statement signed by its executive director, Mensah Thompson, ASEPA said, “As a Public Accountability and Anti-Corruption Civil Society Organisation, we are deeply concerned and wondering whether the World Bank had asked Government to refund the support it granted it to implement such reliefs, if not then why were Ghanaians asked to pay back a relief which had been funded by money from the world bank? If Ghanaians paid for such reliefs then what did Government use the World Bank Money for?

“The lack of transparency and accountability in the use of the COVID funds, coupled with the recent revelation by the World Bank on how much support was given to the Government of Ghana seriously raises suspicion of the misapplication of these funds, we are therefore requesting that the Office of the Special Prosecutor opens an immediate enquiry into the use of these funds,” he said.

ASEPA added that it wants the special prosecutor to investigate how NBSSI, now the Ghana Entrepreneurship Agency (GEA), disbursed the COVID-19 relief loans under the Obatanpa Program as well as the use of US$130million World Bank support for the procurement of COVID vaccines.

Read full petition by ASEPA below: