Mahama vows to prosecute persons involved in $12m Pwalugu Dam scandal

National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer John Mahama has promised, should he be elected, he will file charges against individuals culpable for the Pwalugu Dam’s financial loss.

There has been no work done on the project despite $12 million being invested, according to Mahama. The Upper East Region’s recurrent floods were not expected to be lessened by the Pwalugu multifunctional dam by 2019, as was originally planned.

The NDC flagbearer pledged to complete the dam project at a Wednesday media engagement in Bolgatanga.

“We didn’t start it because we were not able to procure dedicated funding for it because for a project like that when you start, funding it must continue till its completion and so when this new government came, they took it up and in 2019 they cut sod for it.

They stated that it would be financed by the Government of Ghana (GoG) budget, but I knew that this would not work out well because, if a project worth nearly $1 billion were to be funded by the GoG budget, you can be sure that it would encounter the risks that any project that relies on the consolidated fund faces, and that is precisely what transpired.

“Of course, it made a lot of political capital for the president’s party in cutting sod for that project…Unfortunately, we have rather lost money because almost $12 million was paid for no work done. You go to the site there is absolutely nothing there so somebody has caused financial loss to the state and must be held to account.

“But it is a project that is desirable. We intend to continue,” Mahama said.

The Minority declares that it would do every effort to seek answers on the monies allotted for the anticipated building of the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam in the Upper East Region.

With only a few months remaining in its mandate, John Jinapor claims that the New Patriotic Party (NPP), which had designated the Talensi District project for construction, has not made any progress on it.

The project, for which sod was cut in 2019, was supposed to be finished in the second half of 2024 and comprise a hydro-solar hybrid system with 60 MW of hydropower and 50 MW of solar electricity.

“We will activate all the parliamentary processes to retrieve that amount of money, almost 200 million cedis that has been dashed to this contractor. Somebody must be held accountable. $12 million can do a lot in this country. So we’ll use every legitimate means, every legal means to retrieve the money and punish those who have caused this financial crime and financial loss to the state,” he said.

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com