No Cover-Up in Alleged ‘Filthy Deals’ – Amidu Warns MMT

The Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, has cautioned the board of the Metro Mass Transit Ltd. (MMT), not to tamper with evidence as it probes the alleged shady deals involving the Managing Director of the company, Bennet Aboagye.

In a letter to the Board of the MMT, Mr. Amidu said there would be a criminal investigation into the matter following a similar petition presented to his office.

“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.”

The MMT set up a five-member committee to investigate Mr. Aboagye over the alleged ‘filthy deals’.

He was subsequently asked by the Board of MMT to proceed on leave to allow for investigations internally.

Mr. Martin Amidu in his letter to the MMT, said no obstruction will be tolerated.

“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.”

He also assured that the complaint “will be fairly and impartially investigated as soon as arrangements underway for the purpose are compiled.”

Accusations

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 the 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.”

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

I paid GHc40, 000 to bait my ‘blackmailers’ – MMT boss

Mr. Aboagye in a shocking response admitted that he paid Ghc40,000 not as a bribe to cover-up any wrongdoing, but to bait his blackmailers.

According to him, he took the decision based upon the advice of his lawyer, Dr. Amoako Tuffour, whom he had informed of the ploy by some people to tarnish his image.