I regret allowing my hotel supply food to Maritime Authority – Kwame Owusu

Former Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Kwame Owusu has stated his regret for allowing his hotel, The Luxe Suites Hotel to supply meals to the Ghana Maritime Authority.

“For my part, Yes! If I had to do it again I won’t do it because of the perception about it. There is nothing financial mismanagement about it. It did not click in my mind that there is something that is going on”, he revealed on Joy News monitored by MyNewsGh.com.

He admitted that though there was no financial malfeasance in the supply of food by his hotel which went through the right processes to be awarded the contract, some persons in pursuit of a parochial interest called him out.

It would be recalled that Mr Kwame Owusu in October 2018, was accused of blowing ¢135,125 (the old Ghana cedis equivalent of ¢1,351,250,000) one night on food and ¢10,652 on another occasion on food for just eight people

The documents which allegedly showed the extent of wastage of public funds and conflict of interest was intercepted from NPP member and musician-Anti-corruption activist Kwame Asare Obeng popularly known as A-plus.

MyNewsGH.com confirmed that the hotel where the outrageous expenses were incurred and paid for with the approval of Mr Kwame Owusu, The Luxe Suites Hotel is wholly owned by Mr Kwame Owusu who at the time was heading the Ghana Maritime Authority when his ‘close friend’ Akufo-Addo became president.

MyNewsGH.com learnt he was still Group Chairman of the Luxe Suites Hotel even after his appointment.

Social media users shared the memos from the Director of administration of GMA requesting for permission from Mr Owusu to make payment of ¢135,125 and ¢10,652 for the foods to Luxe Suites Hotel have questioned President Akufo-Addo’s mantra of fighting corruption in all forms. They say while the president, on one hand, is talking about ‘protecting the public purse’, his appointees are taking steps to empty and waste as much of the money in the public purse as they can.

Kwame A-plus, who broke this story questioned the Ghana Maritime Authority Boss whether he would have taken the decision to ‘waste’ ¢135,125 and ¢10,652 on food per night if the GMA were his personal company.

But in reaction to this publicly for the first time, he said the number of persons who ate at the hotel were way above what was put out by some faceless persons over what is yet to be uncovered.