Anti-corruption campaigner Vitus Azeem has called for an investigation into the contract between the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports regarding a payment made for media coverage of the 13th All African Games.
This follows a controversy triggered by remarks made by Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif during a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) session on Monday, August 19, 2024.
The Minister claimed that the Ministry had paid GBC over $3 million for production and broadcasting services for the Games.
However, GBC’s Director-General, Prof. Amin Alhassan, disputed the Minister’s claim, stating that the state broadcaster received only $105,000.
In an interview with Citi News, Azeem stressed the need for both parties to present receipts of their transactions. If discrepancies remain, he insists that further investigations should be conducted to uncover the truth.
“GBC should come out with these documents that I am talking about, the sports ministry must also come up with these documents I am talking about. Of course, the payment to the subcontractor, and evidence of it would also be brought into the public domain so that it will be obvious who is telling the truth and who is telling lies.
But again to go further than that there will be receipts issued if payment was made.
The receipts, even if they can’t get the original receipts, there will be [carbon receipts] So, I am just saying that there is enough documentation for anybody wanting to prove that he or she is speaking the truth.
“If they refuse, or they put the document in the public domain and they don’t agree then there is the need to do some investigation because there is a possibility of corruption involved.
Maybe the amount supposed to be paid to the subcontractor didn’t go to the subcontractor and that is where there will be a need for an investigation to know where the money went,” he stated.
