Conflict of interest unfounded in Bryan Acheampong bid to purchase SSNIT Hotels - NPP’s Richard Ahiagbah

The Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has dismissed allegations of conflict of interest in the sale of hotels owned by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to Rock City Limited, owned by Bryan Acheampong, the current Minister of Agriculture.

North Tongu Member of Parliament (MP), Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate the sale, raising concerns about the propriety of the transaction. 

However, Mr. Ahiagbah maintains that there is no conflict of interest, as the process to offload SSNIT’s interests in these hotels began in 2018, five years before Acheampong assumed his ministerial role.

Mr. Ahiagbah explained that the move to sell the hotels to Rock City, a company owned by Bryan Acheampong, was above board and followed proper procedures.

He stated that the transaction's origins predate Acheampong's tenure as Minister of Food and Agriculture, thereby negating any potential conflict of interest.

"From the records SSNIT has put out so far, the processes leading to the settlement on Rock City have been above board," Ahiagbah said in a statement on X. 

He questioned whether there would have been concerns if another company had won the bid, suggesting that the issue raised by Ablakwa is not about the integrity of the process but about the winning bidder's identity.

Mr. Ablakwa has been vocal in his opposition to the sale, organizing a demonstration on Monday, June 18, and highlighting intercepted documents that suggest SSNIT is proceeding with the transaction despite his complaint to CHRAJ and public outcry.

In response, Mr. Ahiagbah emphasized SSNIT's independence in fulfilling its mandate and criticized Ablakwa’s stance. "The question of conflict of interest for me does not arise because the process to offload SSNIT’s interests in these hotels started in 2018, five years before Hon. Bryan Acheampong became the Minister for Food and Agriculture," Ahiagbah reiterated.

He further questioned whether there would have been any concerns or issues of conflict of interest if the procurement process had been completed before Acheampong became a minister.

Read the entire statement below;

The SSNIT Hotel Transaction, a potential threat to the independence of a state institution, is a matter of grave concern...

The right for citizens to demonstrate is a core democratic right. However, I expected Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa to have waited for the conclusion of the…

— Richard Ahiagbah (@RAahiagbah) June 18, 2024

The SSNIT Hotel Transaction, a potential threat to the independence of a state institution, is a matter of grave concern…

The right for citizens to demonstrate is a core democratic right. However, I expected Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa to have waited for the conclusion of the democratic process he triggered with CHRAJ before resorting to a demonstration. Doing so would have minimized the political motive of his pursuit.

The crux of the matter is the ability of SSNIT or any state institution to fulfill its mandate independently. Hon. Ablakwa’s concern with the hotel transaction is that SSNIT, as an independent institution, should not be allowed to pursue the outcome of the procurement process to offload its shares in the stated hotels because Rock City, which belongs to Bryan Acheampong, won the bid.

From the records SSNIT has put out so far, the processes leading to the settlement on Rock City have been above board. However, because Bryan Acheampong, the Minister for Food and Agriculture’s company, Rock City, won the bid, it should be scrapped by hook or crook. So, what if another company had won the bid? Would Hon. Ablakwa have accepted that outcome?

The question of conflict of interest for me does not arise because the process to offload SSNIT’s interests in these hotels started in 2018, 5 years before Hon. Bryan Acheampong became the Minister for Food and Agriculture. Again, the question must be asked: Had SSNIT terminated the procurement process to divest its shares to Rock City between 2019 and 2023 before Bryan Acheampong became a minister, would there have been any concerns or issues of conflict of interest?

If there would not have been a conflict of interest concerns had Rock City bought SSNIT’s share before Bryan Acheampong became a Minister, why is it a concern now?

I am open to joining any demonstration that provides concrete evidence that the bidding process, initiated in 2018 before Bryan Acheampong assumed his ministerial role, was biased in favor of Rock City. Or a demonstration that proves that Rock City did not win the bid competitively or that other bidders submitted superior bids compared to Rock City.

Until then, I have taken the view that what is being championed by my good brother, Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa’s convenient politics has catastrophic implications for corporate governance and the ability of state institutions to function independently. There is no reason why we should condone the disruption being propagated by Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa.

This is a clear case of form over substance. Somehow, because public sentiment is on edge in this election year, it is being abused to subject the expected independence of SSNIT to political whims.