MMT Scandal: Don’t Tamper with Evidence – Amidu Warns Board

The Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, has warned the board of the Metro Mass Transit Ltd. (MMT) that a criminal investigation will be opened into activities of its Managing Director, Bennet Aboagye.

In a letter to the board, Mr. Amidu stated that nobody at MMT must tamper with evidence as his office readies to probe allegations of fraudulent deals at the company.

Mr. Amidu’s letter comes after a petition was sent to the Special Prosecutor’s office over allegations of shady deals involving the MD. Mr. Aboagye was later directed to step aside by the board of the company for investigations to be conducted.

The letter to the board of MMT in part read “while Metro Mass Transit Ltd is at liberty to invoke its administrative procedures to address purely administrative infractions of its regulations, care ought to be taken in that, the process does not compromise the integrity of the eventual criminal investigation to be conducted by us.”

According to the letter, “Nothing should be done that may be interpreted as calculated to interfere with any witness or witnesses or the complainant in the pending complaint. Notice also ought to be taken of the fact that any obstruction of this office from performing a function under the Act 959 may constitute an offence.”

Mr. Amidu in his letter added that the complaint “will be fairly and impartially investigated as soon as arrangements underway for the purpose are compiled.”

Mr. Aboagye has been accused of breaching several procurement laws in the acquisition of some 300 buses since taking over the company over a year ago.

Mr. Aboagye and a leading member of the NPP, Dr. Amoako Tuffuor are accused of attempting to bribe the whistle blower with GHc40, 000 when they were confronted with evidence.

But the embattled MD described the allegations as attempted blackmail.

According to him, his office was bugged with a recording device by his accuser who also threatened to release some audio conversations of him to the public if an amount of GHc1m was not paid.

Mr. Aboagye confirmed paying an amount of GHc40, 000 to his accuser known as Lawal but stated that the amount was to trap his accuser to retrieve the supposed recording from him as advised by the Police CID.

Source: Starrfmonline