‘Family contract’ claims bogus, painful lies - Mac Manu

Board Chair of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) Peter Mac Manu has debunked allegations of conflict of interest and corruption levelled against him by some staff of GPHA.

The staff union held a press conference last week to accuse Mr Mac Manu of awarding contracts to companies belonging to his wife as well as circumventing procurement processes for his personal benefit.

They called on government to terminate his appointment as chairman of the GPHA board.

Responding to the allegations at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, 29 May 2018, Mr Manu challenged the union to present evidence to buttress their claims.

He added that the allegations are bogus and a personal attack on his person.

Mr Manu said: “Last week, I was at the burial service of the late Mr Appiah-Menka when I heard news from Takoradi that some union members from Tema had travelled to Takoradi to hold a press conference together with their Takoradi counterparts accusing me, the board chairman of GPHA.

“All those allegations are false and bogus and have no merit at all. The Takoradi press conference of the unions was a personal and direct attack on me and I must admit it was very painful.

“It is painful because not a single one of the allegations is true. Painful because it is obvious that some persons have either a personal score to settle with me or are using me falsely to paint the NPP government as corrupt.

“They say my wife has taken over ticketing for staff travel and the authority is being priced at cut throat prices. Let me put on record that my wife’s travel and tour company, Special T Travel, first secured a contract to issue tickets for GPHA staff travel in 2005.

“The NDC after winning power abrogated the contract in 2009. The only reason Special T Travel lost the contract was because of me, Peter Mac Manu. Special T Travels went back to GPHA in March 2017 to be re-engaged when I was not even a board chairman. They were contracted by GPHA months before I was sworn in as board chairman in July 2017. So how could this be classified as conflict of interest?”

Mr Manu noted that he made full disclosure to the board about his wife’s company’s dealings with the GPHA when he was sworn in as board chair.

He further denied all allegations levelled against him, noting that they lacked merit.