Government ‘stealing our money and giving it to Zoomlion’ – Manasseh Azure alleges.

Following a report by the Auditor-General that indicted Zoomlion Ghana for taking monies despite not executing their tasks, investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni is alleging that government is colluding with Jospong Ghana which is the parent company of Zoomlion Ghana to fleece the country.

In a Facebook post, Manasseh Azure claimed that Jospong Group of Companies have consistently been featured in audit reports as having caused one infraction or the other.

As far he is concerned, government is in bed with the company and that the figures revealed by the Auditor-General is a tip of the actual monies which are being paid to the company by government.

Manasseh criticized President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for not honoring his promise of stopping deals that benefits a private citizen at the expense of the country.

Manasseh further quizzed if President Akufo-Addo”s u-turn on the matter is indication of him personally benefitting from what he considers to be the looting of the public purse by Jospong Group of Companies.

“The Auditor General’s report has once again revealed that the government (from the Office of the President to the district assemblies) is stealing our money and giving it to Zoomlion and the Jospong Group in the most obscene manner.

“But what you see in the Auditor General’s report is a tip of the rotten iceberg of deals between the government and the Jospong Group.

“In 2016, Nana Akufo-Addo promised to stop this kind of thievery. That’s why some of us fell for him. In November 2016, he and the NPP said John Mahama could not stop such shady deals with Jospong because he was benefitting directly from them.

“At this stage, is it not fair to ask if Nana Akufo-Addo is benefitting directly from the rot? Or, what has changed, Mr. President?”

The 2020 Auditor-General report captured Zoomlion Ghana as receiving GHC3,801,530 from the administrator of the District Assembly Common for fumigation services in 38 assemblies in 2018.

The report indicated that at the time, the monies were being paid to the company, it had not done any work.

The company has meanwhile denied the allegations, stressing that it received no such funds.