DRIP audit reveals $2m overpayment to JA Plant Pool — Ayine

The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has revealed that audits into the District Roads Improvement Programme (DRIP) have uncovered a $2 million overpayment to contractor JA Plant Pool and tax evasion amounting to GH¢38.7 million.

Speaking during the Government Accountability Series at the Jubilee House in Accra on Wednesday, Dr. Ayine said the findings were part of a broader effort by the government to recover lost public funds and ensure accountability across state projects.

“In the case of DRIP, JA Plant Pool was paid $2 million more than the contract sum. The contract value was $176 million, but our examination of payment invoices showed that $178 million was actually paid,” he explained. “We have therefore asked that the $2 million be refunded by JA Plant Pool.”

Dr. Ayine also disclosed that investigators discovered irregularities involving the importation of heavy-duty road equipment under the same project.

“We realised that 190 pieces of equipment were cleared without payment of tax. They were added to the list as if they were tax-exempt,” he stated.

According to him, further analysis based on the Harmonised System (HS) codes used by customs officers to classify goods and determine applicable duties revealed that the exemptions were improperly granted. “When the investigators analysed the HS codes, it came out that GH¢38.7 million in taxes were evaded,” Dr. Ayine said.

The Justice Minister said the findings have been referred for further investigation and possible prosecution, reaffirming government’s determination to tackle financial malpractice in public projects.

The disclosure comes amid ongoing prosecutions in other high-profile cases, including the Sky Train and National Service Secretariat scandals. Dr. Ayine earlier announced that charges had been filed against former National Service CEO Osei Assibey Antwi and his deputy, Gifty Oware, after a forensic audit by the Auditor-General found that GH¢2.2 billion was illegally spent at the Secretariat, far above the GH¢548 million initially uncovered by investigators.

He also noted that additional investigations were underway into the All African Games, Mathematical Sets, Bank of Ghana’s new headquarters, stadia renovation projects, and the controversial National Cathedral.