MMT to Set Up C’ttee to Probe Alleged ‘Filthy Deals’

A five-member committee is to be set up to investigate alleged shady deals involving the Managing Director of  Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMT), Bennet Aboagye.

According to management of the company, allegations of wrongdoing in the purchase of some 300 buses for the agency, among other claims will be probed.

The Corporate Communications Manager at the MMT, George Krobea Asante, spoke to Citi News about the composition of the committee.

“There will be a representative from the Ghana Police Service, there will be a procurement expert from National Procurement Authority, then there is going to be one member from Ministry of Transport, a Labour expert, and then one member from the board making five..The committee will be constituted on Monday.”

Petition against MMT boss

The MMT’s Security Coordinator, together with other unidentifiable persons had petitioned the office of the Special Prosecutor to investigate alleged procurement malpractices for the purchase of some 300 buses.

According to the petition, signed by one Mr. Lawal, who is said to be the Company’s Head of Security, the Managing Director, is in collusion with some top officials of the Company to secretly purchase 300 new buses and electrical products, and sell off MMT scrap buses.

The petition sighted by Citi News accused Mr Aboagye and his assistant, Mr. Yiadom Kessie of openly requesting “for bribes or commission before awarding contracts to suppliers or signing cheques to pay suppliers for services they rendered.”

The petitioners say they subsequently “planted a third ear at some strategic locations with the hope of having firsthand information about what the MD, his assistant and some key players in this scandal do, say and planned to do, and the revelations uncovered are mind-boggling.”

“The third ear revealed among others, malpractices involving the intended purchase of 300 buses from China…the purchase of electrical products, the sale of MMT scrap buses among others,” the workers added in the petition.

They also claimed that Mr. Aboagye, however, tried to bribe them to the tune of about GHc60,000 to have the recordings and transcripts destroyed.

I’m being blackmailed

But in a swift response, Mr. Aboagye, dismissed the allegations.

He insisted that Mr . Lawal had tried extorting about $1 million from him with the pretence of being a negotiator between him [Aboagye] and the alleged blackmailers.

Mr. Aboagye said he quickly informed his lawyer, Dr Amoako Tuffour, who advised him to inform the Bureau of National Investigations [BNI].

He also said Dr. Tuffour advised him to pay the ransom to the whistleblowers to bait them.

“Dr Amoako wanted us to bait Lawal, so he proposed that instead of Lawal’s initial demand of $1 million, we should make an offer of GHc20,000.”

He said after several meetings, Mr Lawal told them that the supposed blackmailers had agreed to accept GHc40,000 and hand over all the recordings and the “supposed third ear.”

“All this while, Lawal was trying to portray that he was only playing an intermediary role and that he was innocent and rather intervening on our behalf. According to him, it was a group led by one Bawa which was behind this deal. It is important to note that, the said Bawa once called Mr Kessie on the phone and threatened him to pay the money, else, he would regret the consequences of failure to comply,” Mr Aboagye said in a memo sighted by Citi News.

MMT MD suspended

Mr. Aboagye, was subsequently asked to proceed on leave on Wednesday.

The company said the move will enable investigations to be conducted into the matter.