'All State Looters Must Be Severely Punished' – MFWA

Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, is calling on authorities to ensure that every individual found culpable in any corrupt act is sanctioned.

Mr Braimah is wondering if the erstwhile Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) “knew about, covered up and presided over all these monumental scandals and still wanted to govern our dear country”.

“Well, all the greedy state looters must be severely punished. They must receive long-term prison sentences. But not only that, all their fraudulently-acquired properties must be confiscated,” he said.

He continued: “It is the NPP government that has to make sure the looters are punished and their properties acquired with the looted funds seized.

“But from the way NPP folks are making allegations of corruption against each other in these early days of the government, will the NPP not end up the same way as the NDC on corruption?”

His comments come in the wake of various contracts that have come under scrutiny with some under investigation by the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO).

EOCO is investigating a software system acquired for $72 million by The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).

There are concerns that the monies paid for the system have been overpriced, with ICT experts arguing that the cost for the application is outrageous.

There are reports of another $74 million (GHS318 million) contract to the Jospong Group to supply one million waste bins and 900,000 bin liners believed to have been inflated by at least $31.1 million (GHS130 million).