$65m GARID fund was misapplied – Ato Forson

The Minority Leader, Cassiel Ato Forson, has alleged that $65 million of the $200 million allocated for the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development Project (GARID) was misused.

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So far, they have drawn down almost $180 million out of the $200 million loan.

Unfortunately, even though they had drawn down almost $180 million, the amount has been misappropriated or misapplied.

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“For example, $65 million of the GARID loan that was supposed to be used for the purposes of killing the floods, was misapplied for the purposes of COVID-19 expenditure.

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We were told that unlike a typical World Bank facility, where a project implementation unit would have been established, and payments made directly to the contractors, in this case, the amount was paid into the Ministry of Works and Housing’s account, and the Ministry has failed to account to Parliament how much money that they have spent from that account.”

He recalled how some individuals sent to the Odaw River reported no work done at the site after they were informed that $32 million was used for dredging.

On Monday, May 20, the Ministry issued a statement stating that it has responsibly managed the $200 million allocated for its operations.