The controversy surrounding the sale of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) hotels has taken a new turn as Honorable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency, unveils further details alleging severe procedural violations and potential conflicts of interest.
The National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament, in a sharp response to SSNIT’s recent statement chastised SSNIT for failure to respond to the constitutional and fundamental issues raised in his petition to CHRAJ on the sale of Ghana’s hotels to Honorable Bryan Acheampong.
He also criticized the Social Security and National Insurance Trust and President Akufo-Addo for disregarding constitutional and procedural norms in the controversial sale of the six SSNIT-owned hotels to Honorable Bryan Acheampong, a Member of Parliament and current Minister of Agriculture.
He noted that despite a formal protest in 2022 from Nana Kodwo Condua VI, the Omanhen of the Edina Traditional Area, the transaction proceeded, raising significant public and political concerns.
“The Honorable Bryan Acheampong should have been nowhere near this transaction. SSNIT has not addressed that fundamental issue. You cannot just claim that Rock City presented the best financial and technical proposal”.
Honorable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency
Furthermore, the North Tobgu legislator expressed deep concerns over the timeline and procurement process leading to the sale of hotels belonging to SSNIT to Honorable Bryan Acheampong.
He disclosed that even though the Social Security and National Insurance Trust initiated the procurement process for the sale of the hotels on November 14, 2018, Rock City, the eventual buyer, only began operations a year later, in November 2019.
Honourable Ablakwa asserted that the discrepancy raises questions about Rock City’s qualifications and capabilities during the procurement phase.
He emphasized that Honorable Bryan Acheampong’s Rock City’s rapid rise to financial and technical dominance, despite not being operational during the initial procurement stages, casts doubt on the transparency and fairness of the process.
“It is even more profound that soon after commencing operations in the middle of the SSNIT procurement, Rock City gathered the financial and technical might to knock out all the other 14 firms they competed against”.
Honorable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency
Conflict of Interest Concerns
Moreover, Honorable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs underscored a fundamental issue of conflict of interest regarding the transaction leading to the sale of six hotels belonging to SSNIT to Honorable Bryan Acheampong.
He strongly argued that the sale of national assets to a sitting minister, especially under “opaque circumstances” undermines public trust and raises serious ethical questions.
He expressed deep disappointment over SSNIT’s failure to address such a worrying concern in its press statement, stressing that SSNIT failed to respond to the fundamental issues of conflict of interest he raised in his petition to CHRAJ.
In addition, Honorable Ablakwa indicated that the SSNIT statement, released to address the controversy, fails to provide detailed evidence of the fairness and transparency of the procurement processes.
This omission, he emphasized fuels further suspicion and demands for accountability, underscoring the alarming nature of inconsistencies in SSNIT’s statement.
Honourable Ablakwa, in a fervent call for action, urged the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice to take urgent steps to conduct a thorough investigation into the process leading to the sale of SSNIT 60% shares in its six hotels across the country to Honorable Bryan Acheampong.
He expressed his commitment to collaborate with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice to carry out its investigation to bring finality to the controversial matter to ensure that the hotels remain valuable assets for all Ghanaians, not just a select few.
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