Frema not selling gov’t houses & Cars …critics dared to point out procurement breach

It has become known that the Chief of Staff, Frema Akosua Osei-Opare, has involved neither herself nor Office in any unlawful auctioning of state properties and the bluff of her accusers have been called to prove otherwise with evidence.

The Chief of Staff recently came under public verbal attacks spearheaded by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, over allegations that she had given approval for the public auction of some state properties and nine unserviceable vehicles belonging to the Kumasi Technical University.

Mr. Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor has accordingly sued the state over the alleged public auction of nine vehicles belonging to the Kumasi Technical University, when she lacked the authority to have issued such an approval.

The law suit and allegations allegation sparked a public cacophony and became a piece of propaganda material used in some political circles against the Chief of Staff and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government she serves under.

However the Chief Director at the Seat of Government, Mr. HM Wood, has clarified the issues and explained that nothing untoward r unlawful has taken place and no procurement breaches has occurred as per the laws of Ghana.

“In response to this allegation, it must be stated that it is simply not true. The chief of Staff has not signed any letter or made any declaration to that effect on any platform. Whoever has any evidence to the contrary may bring it up for verification,” Mr. Wood noted in a memo dated 29 September 2021.

The memo further noted: “The assertion made by the Hon. Member of Parliament with respect to the case of the Kumasi Technical University that it is the Ministry of Education that has the mandate to give approval for the University to undertake the auction is also not grounded in law. Per section 1(2) of the Technical Universities Act, 2016 (Act 992), “A technical university established under this Act is a body corporate with perpetual succession.” Section 31(1) of Act 922 further provides that “A technical university may, for the purpose of the performance of the functions of that technical university, or any purpose which that technical university considers necessary or expedient, acquire and hold moveable or immoveable property, sell, lease, mortgage or otherwise alienate or dispose of that property and enter into any other transaction.”

It further added that “from the foregoing, the law does not in any way impose a duty on such “corporate body” in this case the Kumasi Technical University, to necessarily get approval from the Ministry of Education before it carries out any of such activities. However, since it is a government policy that all public sector entities should obtain approval from the Office of the President before they purchase or dispose of any property acquired with public funds, the Kumasi Technical University was under obligation to seek and obtain approval from the Office of the President before it disposed of the vehicles in question.”

The memo said all auction proceeds are paid “directly into the Consolidate Fund at the Bank of Ghana by the auctioneers.”

“In the matter of the disposal of the vehicles deemed unserviceable by the Kumasi Technical University, the Chief of Staff followed the due process in granting the approval which is lawful and in line with Government policy,” Mr. Wood’s noted.