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General News of Wednesday, 14 August 2019

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Ofori Atta-led delegation in crunch meeting with US State Department over PDS scandal

Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta

Information reaching Ghanaweb indicates that with regards to the development about the suspension of contract between government and the Power Distribution Services, President Akufo-Addo has dispatched a delegation to the United States to meet with officials at the State Department after another delegation went to Qatar to speak to parties involved in the investigations.

Host of Good Evening Ghana, a current affairs programme on Metro TV, Paul Adom-Otchere disclosed on his show that his sources had confirmed that the President had nominated a group of Ministers led by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to explain the details of the report from the meetings with Al Koot, a party at the heart of the controversy regarding the PDS concession.

According to the senior broadcast journalist, the meeting with high ranking officials at the US State Department at Washington DC had been necessitated because the US is angry about the development with the PDS. He explained that government is worried it could lose the legibility to the Millennium Challenge Account which is part of a project being carried out by the former for developing African countries.

Adom Otchere further noted that the delegation will disclose the findings of the delegation that went to Qatar to meet Al Koot and updates on investigations on the PDS concession.

“…Ghanaian delegation is heading out to State Department to talk to them about PDS; Why State Department? Because all of this matter is under Compact 2 which is part of the MCC, the Millennium Challenge Account and which is part of what America is doing for developing African countries that are doing well.
Ghana had qualified under Compact 1 which gave us the N1... Ghana is troubled about Compact 2 because that was to retool the energy sector; PDS came in and the matter ensued… Ken Ofori Atta is leading a delegation to the States to talk to the State Department people because apparently, the Americans are angry” the host of Good Evening Ghana disclosed.



Foreign Affairs Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, Deputy Attorney General Godfred Dame, Energy Minister John Peter Amewu and several others are among the delegation which flew out Tuesday evening to Washington DC for a closed-door meeting at the State Department.