NDC challenges Bawumia - Veep's residence cost 3.5m not $13.9m
The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Johnson Asiedu Nketia has revealed that a document released by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government to dispute claims that the cost of a bungalow for the Vice-President is $13.9million is false.
He said the government of former President John Mahama did not approve 13.9 million dollars to be used to put up the Vice President’s accommodation.
According to a two-paged document, shown to Accra-based Joy FM, the contract sum of the bungalow is 3.56m. It is not clear whether the figure quoted is in cedis or dollars.
The cost of the bungalow came to bear when Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia revealed that he was shocked to hear that the immediate past government spent $13.9million to put up his official residence.
Bawumia said the residence was not sole-sourced. He added that, in his view he did not believe it when he was told the price for the house, which, was "most likely sole-sourced" by the erstwhile administration.
But the NDC denied claims made by the Dr Bawumia.
The Director of Communications for the NPP, Nana Akomea, has produced documents to show that indeed the erstwhile John Mahama administration spent 13 million dollars to build a house for the vice president.
The document showed that $8 million has been paid to the contractor leaving an outstanding debt of $5 million.
The production of the documents follows denials from officials of the former administration that the building cost was $5.1 million and not $13 million.
The document contained the architectural designs and cost of the facility.
According to documents by General Secretary of the NDC Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the cost of the project stands at 3,563,884.
The document showed that an amount of 1 million cedis had been paid already for the project to be executed leaving an outstanding debt of 2 million.