The head of the Micro-finance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) has said the Centre is seeking legal advice from the Attorney General on the next action to take after more than 300 vehicles procured by the John Mahama administration for the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) were abandoned.

Steven Amoah says although he has not seen any written contract between the previous administration and GPRTU, reports suggest there was some agreement between both parties for the vehicles to be procured.

The vehicles, comprising, 100 33-seater buses and 250 saloon cars, were purchased in 2016 to be used for commercial operations but have since been abandoned.

Former President John Dramani who presented the vehicles to officials of the GPRTU, in 2016 said, "The scheme is yet another novelty of this government that will afford members of the GPRTU the opportunity to acquire on hire purchase, buses and saloon cars to renew their fleet in a manner that will not put undue constraints on their capital and cash flow."

He said the provision of the vehicles was consistent with the government's policy to expand opportunities to all Ghanaians and also ensure a firm foundation for socio-economic transformation through the provision of safe means of transport to the citizens of the country.

However, the novelty as the former president described it in 2016, has turned out be a waste of state resources because the vehicles have been abandoned more than a year after they were commissioned.

The GPRTU which was expected to buy the vehicles decried the high prices. The Union thought the figures quoted were too exorbitant, hence its inability to purchase them.

In an interview with Joy News, Head of MASLOC, Steven Amoah said even as he awaits advice from the Attorney General on how to proceed on the issue, there are a number of processes that are being considered in order to manage the situation.

He said the Centre is in talks with the supplier to take back the vehicles and improve their use if the GPRTU fails to purchase them.

Even though an initial price reduction has been secured, the Centre is still engaging the supplier to reduce the price further because they are still expensive.

“We are trying to exhaust all other dimensions of the issue to make sure that in the end, we will get value for money and we will not burden Ghana with any unnecessary or unproductive debt portfolio.”

He also rubbished claims that the vehicles are in bad shape. He said all “the cars are in good condition.”

Meanwhile, more than 350 commercial vehicles, mostly taxis, have been confiscated from individuals and groups who failed to repay loans they contracted from MASLOC.

Additionally, MASLOC has mounted an intensive search to retrieve more than 150 more vehicles whose owners are indebted to the centre.