Pressure group Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) is accusing President John Mills of presiding over deep-seated corruption and doing very little to investigate the many corruption allegations brought against his appointees. “Corruption in Ghana in recent times under the Mills-Mahama led NDC government seems to have taken sinister dimensions and is gravely affecting the pace of national development in Ghana,” AFAG said in a statement released, Tuesday. The group cited an amount of one million dollars alleged paid in bribes or kickbacks to functionaries of the NDC by TAQA, the United Arab Emirates-based majority shareholder of the Aboadze thermal plant. According to Peter Barker-Homek, CEO of TAQA an “authorization to triple its output was obtained by inflating the official price of the expansion works” and then paying part of the surplus to government officials. The matter is said to be before a US District Court, Eastern District of Michigan (Detroit) because Mr Barker–Homek has sued the UAE state – owned energy firm TAQA in 2010 claiming that he was forced out in 2009 after he “tried to put a stop to the kickbacks, bribery, accounting fraud and corruption.” The group further cited what it said is an outrageous inflation of prices in the construction of six classroom blocks across the country. The Education Minister, Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu only recently in Parliament revealed on the floor of Parliament that class room blocks cost government an amount ranging between GHC260, 000.00 and GHC 280,000.00 Ghana cedis. This amount the pressure group maintained is unacceptable and can only be fraught with unbridled corruption. “We are dismayed by this over bloated contract quotations and massive corruption under the Professor Mills led NDC government who made corruption a campaign issue in the 2008 elections,” the statement said. The group said it has evidence that the NDC had only a year ago constructed a similar project at a far lower price than is being quoted now. It cited an instance when the Awutu Senya District awarded the construction of six unit classroom block, office, store, staffroom and 4–seater KVIP latrine and 2-unit urinal in November 2009, at a cost of GHS73,000.00 Ghana Cedis. It wondered why in a little over a year the same project will cost twice more than the original price. In an interview with Joy News one of the members of the group, Arnold Boateng, expressed utter shock at what he said is the show of opulence by appointees of the president. According to him, the deputy Works and Housing Minister, Hannah Bissew has within a period of two years built two houses. He said he was ready to lead journalists to the properties of the deputy minister. But a member of the Communications team of the NDC has dismissed the claims. Peter Otokunor Boamah insists the allegations are but discredited and unjustifiable attempts by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to stick the corruption charge on the NDC. He stated that the NPP, well noted for collecting kickbacks, is deliberately accusing the NDC of doing same. On the alleged inflation of project prices, Otokunor explained that the new projects have other facilities like storerooms and bungalows for teachers which led to the increase in the prices. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana