PDS Probe: FTI Report Misleading – Government Claims

Government of Ghana is urging its citizens to be patient and wait for the full report on the investigation conducted into the alleged ‘fundamental and material’ breaches regarding the transfer of distribution business of Electricity Company of Ghana to the Power Distribution Services Ghana (PDS) Limited.

The call follows the leaking of a report by FTI Consulting, a United States-based consulting firm which was commissioned by the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) to probe the claim by the Akufo-Addo administration.

The FTI report indicated that PDS duly won the contract to manage the assets of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and said insurance guarantees were paid to back PDS’s takeover of the assets and operations of the ECG.

According to the 32-page report submitted by FTI Consulting to MiDA, dated September 3, 2019 and signed by Pat Pericak and David Okhumal, both officials of the consulting firm, said: “We have not seen any documents that would suggest that, as of March 1, 2019, PDS, Cal Bank, Donewell and/or personnel from MiDA should have questioned the validity of the payment securities.”

However, speaking on an Accra-based Citi FM, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said the circulation of the leaked report was misleading and advised “everybody to just tarry whilst it [the full report] is all put together in the various parties.”

“To create an impression that it is the full embodiment of the government position on the PDS enquiry and we find that very unfortunate because that is not the case.”

The Minister explained that the FTI report represented one part of the probe; the part which involved a trip to the United States of America for engagements with the Millennium Challenge Compact as part of a forensic.

The second team did part of its investigation in Qatar and Mr. Oppong Nkrumah said the report on this part of the investigation will provide the full picture.

When that final embodiment is put into a government position statement, they will be formally engaging the country on the position of Ghana.”

“That entire document must be read together with the other report and a certain common position arrived at. It is that common position that becomes the embodiment of the government of Ghana and MCC position moving forward.”