Private Legal Practitioner, Martin Kpebu, has called on the government to establish an independent commission of enquiry to investigate allegations of corruption leveled against the Office of the President by the Fourth Estate.

The allegations of corruption are concerning the awarding of scandalous Covid-19 contracts that was authorized by the Office of the President.

The contracts were awarded to sanitation companies to fumigate and disinfect markets, schools and other public places in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak.

The Fourth Estate had reported that there was no need for the contracts.

“The documentary also reveals that even if there was any need for the contracts, there were existing contractual arrangements to do the work without awarding new contracts.

“Besides, a number of metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies also had the capacity to do the work. However, they were asked to stop while hundreds of millions of cedis were paid to some companies with records of shady deals with the government to do the work,” the Fourth Estate had reported.

Reacting to the allegations, Martin Kpebu stressed that it was important for the government to set up an enquiry into the matter to bring finality to the case.

According to him, all those involved in the scandal, including the President should be brought forward for cross-examination on the case.

“I think this particular thing, the expose Manasseh did, I think what President Akufo-Addo can do for us, the least he can do is that let’s have a commission of enquiry. Let’s have an open independent commission of enquiry because this waste, we will not allow it to go.

“He has to be held accountable for it. Why do you order that spraying be done when spraying is not necessary? You see what the WHO did? Didn’t he say he has all the experts at the Jubilee House? So who advised him to ask for the spraying when spraying was not necessary?

“If you’re doing such a Covid spraying one would have expect that the least he would have done is that apart from his experts he should have checked with WHO. So I think that the least President Akufo-Addo can do about this Manasseh expose is that let’s have a public commission of enquiry, he should come answer, bring the experts who had advised him, let’s have a full enquiry.

“They’d be cross examined on the basis of their advice to him and the rest. Because Sam hundred and twenty two million for one phase is not chicken change, no that’s a colossal sum. So how much did the phase two cost? Because you see that the figures are contradictory, is that not so? Finance Minister gives his separate, local government gives theirs separate. Let’s have a commission of enquiry,” he said.