General News of Monday, 20 May 2024
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2024-05-20Rock City was not operating when SSNIT started procurement processes for hotels sale – Ablakwa
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has responded to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust's (SSNIT) justification for selling 60% of its stake in six hotels to the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Bryan Acheampong.
Ablakwa raised concerns over the selection process, pointing out alleged inconsistencies and questioning SSNIT’s justification for choosing
Read full articlethe Agric minister over other bidders. He highlighted issues of conflict of interest, abuse of power, and procurement irregularities in his petition to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) for an investigation into the sale.
SSNIT defended its decision, explaining that the partnership to manage and invest in the hotels began in 2018 through International Competitive Tendering (ICT) in compliance with the Public Procurement Act. The Trust claimed that the minister presented the most favorable proposal.
However, in a May 20, 2024 post on X, Ablakwa noted discrepancies in SSNIT’s timeline. He pointed out that SSNIT’s procurement process started on November 14, 2018, before Rock City, the company owned by Dr. Acheampong, began operations in November 2019. Ablakwa questioned how Rock City, a newly established entity, could outcompete 14 other firms shortly after its inception, doubting its immediate financial and technical capabilities.
“It’s interesting to discover from the SSNIT statement that their controversial procurement processes for the sale of the six hotels started on November 14, 2018,” Ablakwa stated. “In November 2018, Rock City had not opened for business. According to Rock City’s management, Phase 1 commenced operations in November 2019 — a year after the SSNIT procurement processes were rolled out. It is even more profound that soon after commencing operations in the middle of the SSNIT procurement, Rock City gathered the financial and technical might to knock out all the other 14 firms they competed against.”
