Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), James Klutse Avedzi, has said that RLG Communications Limited is not indebted to government to the tune of GHS6.3million.
“As we speak now, RLG does not owe them the GHS6.3million,” he told Class FM’s Parliamentary correspondent, Ekow Annan, on Friday, September 22.
The 2015 Auditor-General’s report had cited RLG Company Limited for defaulting in supplying laptops per a contract, despite receiving full payment for it.
In line with the policy of promoting indigenous Ghanaian businesses, the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation entered into an agreement with RLG Communications Ltd. to produce and distribute 103,181 pieces of laptops at a total cost of GHS51, 257, 500.00.
Out of the total, RLG supplied and distributed 90, 448 pieces, leaving a balance of 12, 733 pieces worth GHS6, 366, 875.00, it was earlier reported.
Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, said several efforts to retrieve the money or the remaining laptops have been in vain.
“We paid for 12, 733 pieces of Better Ghana laptops costing GHS6, 366, 875.00 and the Ministry, in a letter to RLG in April 28, 2015, we asked the company to supply the outstanding laptops and they have not yet supplied.
“Again, in a letter to RLG on the 26th of January this year, we requested the company to either supply or pay for the computers that they have not supplied and this has not yet been done.
“The company wrote to us on the 27th of July, indicating that they have supplied all the computers, but we, however, wish to inform the committee that, that is not the case; the company has not supplied 12, 733, these are still outstanding,” Prof Frimpong-Boateng said.
However, as contained in some letters written by the company, some of which were cited by members of the PAC, RLG said it supplied the outstanding computers by supplying 3,000 higher spec laptops to make up for the over 12,000 lower spec laptops it failed to supply under the free laptop distribution policy contract it signed with government in 2010.
Mr Avedzi said: “What they (Ministry) should have done was to agree with them (RLG) that once you have not supplied what we asked for, we cannot pay the price of the higher spec and let’s agree on a new price then they determine what quantity should be supplied then this matter is resolved.”
He said his position is that the Ministry should have drawn the attention of RLG to resolve the differences.
Source: Ghana/AccraFM.com
