The man believed to be the brain behind the National Communications Authority (NCA) $8 millions contract that brought in 'spying and phone tapping' gadgets for teh national Security Secretariat (NSS) from Israel is said to be at large.
According to the Minister of Information, Mustapha Hamid, the Deputy National Coordinator during the John Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration, Alhaji Salifu Osman, has gone into hiding following claims that the NCA Board members shared $4 million out of the total contract sum among themselves unlawful.
Alhaji Osman, who is begin investigated for other 'dubious' transactions, may soon be declared wanted if he continues to stay in hiding, sources told Daily Guide.
The last time the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) was said to have reached the security capo on phones was when he told the Bureau about the whereabouts of the gadgets.
Sources say Alhaji Osman, who until his appointment by then President Mahama was a director at the Ministry of the interior, had told the BNI that the gadgets were languishing in somebody's garage in Accra.
Mr. Mustapha Hamid has said that the security capo's village at Salaga in the Northern Region has been combed but he could not be traced,a dding that investigations are showing that he was the 'architect, behind the whole deal.
The contract was meant to buy 'spying and phone tapping' equipment for the National Security Secretariat, but $4 million out of the total amount of $8 million ended up in private accounts, with $1.5 million of the money going to the NCA board of directors.
Already, the former Board Chairman of the NCA, Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie, who is a younger brother of Seinti Baffoe-Bonnie-then senior staffer to former President John Dramani Mahama- has reportedly started returning his share of the money he and his colleagues unlawfully pocketed in that dodgy transaction.
The Information Minister had said that Mr. Baffoe Bonnie was paying $40,000 out of his share of $200,000.
Baffoe-Bonnie did not pick his calls when Daily Guide attempted to reached him for his side of the story.
Last week, after reportedly admitting that they took $4 million unlawfully form the state kitty, some former members of the board of the NCA said they were prepared to refund the cash when they appeared before the BNI.
The $4 million was meant to pay an Israeli company which had a contract with the NDC government.
According to the information Minister, John Mahama's NDC government had contracted NSO Group Technology Limited of Israel to supply caves-dropping gadgets worth $6 million and the equipment were meant to help the government monitor the calls of suspected terrorists.
In the course of the transaction, Mustapha Hamid said a local agent - Infraloks Development Limited - headed by one George Oppong, charged $2 million as facilitation fee, bringing the total amount to $8 million.
The NCA, with instruction from the national Security, made $4 million part-payment into the private account of the local agent of the Israeli Company at Ecobank and subsequently transferred $1 million to the company in Israeli.
The $3 million left in the account was then split into two, with less than half going into the pockets of board members and the chairman allegedly taking the lion's share of $200,000.
Records are showing that apart from Mr. Baffoe-Bonnie, the NCA Director-General, William Mathew Tevie, allegedly took home $500,000 to be shared with other unnamed persons.
The information minister said that if political power did not shift, he was sure nobody would have known about what he described as a classic case of 'create, loot and share.'
According to the minister, National Security, which did not have the funds for the equipment, allowed the NCA with supervisory mandate over such gadgets, to fund the project.
While the Israeli suppliers were groaning for their supplied from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, the former board members were gloating with frees state cash.
He said apart from Alhaji Osman, the others had admitted to the crime and had been given bail after the BNI had interrogated them.
The ministry said George Oppong had refunded $1 million while others had also promised to refund everything.
"BNI hasn't even decided at his stage because they believe that he money must be returned...if they succeed in retrieving the money then they will decide their next action," Mr. Hamid said.
According to him, the transaction was a clear case of top officials colluding to plunder the state coffers.
"The reason why this is a classic case of 'create, loot and share' is that...it was basically Alhaji Osman, acting as Deputy National Security Coordinator, who spearheaded this deal...People cannot just go ad open a state vault and take whatever that is in there," the minister cautioned.
He said the government is waiting for the outcome of the BNI probe into the matter to take a decision on the fate of the culprits.
"Investigations are a long process, and as the lawyers will tell you, an act of criminality ought to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt and so my understanding from the BNI is that they haven't completed the investigations. They've gone beyond the statements and the admission and the paying back of the money that they have started," he explained.
"There are other things that ought to be established, but for now the concentration is on retrieving the money; that cannot be the end of the case, but investigations will determine at what point they believe that they gathered all the facts that will enable them make a convincing case before a judge or nay judicial panel they may be made to face," he said.
Source: Daily Guide
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Look for him and put him behind bars forever
Daily GUIDE look sharp. the article is full of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. it seems the author was in a hurry to put the story out and editor did not even bother to edit. Im disappointed. this can not be printers devil because this is not the first time.
weep for ghana.....wicked men,heartless men.....
Let us hasten slowly to get to the bottom of this matter by the BNI before we decide what to do with this guys. George Oppong has issued a rejoinder on my joyonline. And He said 1.500.000 is still sitting in his account. He never said he has paid any money to the BNI. If indeed that is the true account of what is going on at the BNI then, the Minister is not providing us with the facts.I am a humanist and anything boarding on mankind is very dear to my heart especially the poor and deprive citizens of our country and would never support anybody who deliberately dupe the state for his or her selfish gains however we as a people must speak boldly to those who are lobbying for appointments into Government to understand that if they think we are sleeping then from today we are awake and would hold them to account for any penny they spend in the name of development projects. Let still wait for the BNI report.
it is 'cat' and not 'cut'. watch out.
when the incompetent rules, this is what happens create loot and share.but the judgement day will surely come.
Mr.Alhaji Salifu Osman must be investigated very well,If he is found of guilty then he must be prosecuted and face the court to retrieve whatever amount of money he slash for.Why is he hiding, I dare him to come out if he thinks he did the right thing as a Deputy National Coordinator,to help the BNI"s investigation simple.[there is a saying that,if you insult the GHOST, you are always afraid of walking in the night]this implies that he is afraid if not he should come out.
This so called Alhaji Salifu Osman security capo must be smoked out where ever he is, i believe what we are seeing is a tip of the ice beg, he was one of those who fast tracked the down fall of John Mahama, this man,i rest my case
Peacefmonline, did an editor read through this story? Anyway, who stops the NPP government from arresting these ***barred word***? You have evidence that they have stolen and you are asking them to refund? But the police and the judges are ready to send a goat ***barred word*** to prison.
Where is haruna iddrisu and the NDC minority MPs? Are they not going to do a press conference on this one? Is the press conferences for things against the NPP govt and not for things against the NDC? Moddda fukkkkin NDC MPs. Eddddiotttts. Your face like the kola nut you chewed and spittt out. I am talking to you Haruna Iddrisu, a.k.a. Tamale Watchman & Permanent Public Parasite.