The Ministry of Transport has set up committee to investigate allegations that the Chief Financial Controller of PSC Tema Shipyard, Mohammed Ismail, paid over $300,000 as contract sum to nonexistent companies. It will also probe PSC's majority shareholder Malaysia, which has failed to pay dividends to government, violation of procurement rules and "strange" payments to board members. Additionally it will investigate the company's alleged misapplication of funds through, for instance, the payment of bribes to politicians and top police officers to forestall an impending strike action by workers. The six member inter-ministerial committee is chaired by Ms. Ama Banful of the Attorney-General's office. The Minister of Transport, Mr Mike Hammah, Said in an interview on Thursday that the probe would also "assess the commercial performance of the company since its divestiture in 1998, its financial viability, and investigate the reasons underlying the incessant labour unrests, and all tax obligations. The committee is mandated to establish whether there is any corporate malfeasance, and if so, how it affected the economy negatively, and any other issues that impact negatively on the maritime industry. Mr Hammah said it had come out that dubious contracts were awarded to a certain company to maintain the cleanliness of the shipyard’s building and provide landscaping at a fee of GH¢3,250 a month, even though the company has no janitorial or landscaping expertise. The probe is also to unearth the truth in the allegation that JIOE Engineering Company partly owned by the business partner of the Chief Financial Controller, was allegedly paid GH¢23,000 at the end of February, 2009 without any work done . Another allegation is that Keta Shipping Services was given a vague job description to act as employment agency for PSC Tema Shipyard and were paid GH¢53,500 for engaging only 17 security personnel between December 15,2008 and March 3, 2009. He said the shipyard allegedly also paid GH¢ 13,600 as protocol money to the police hierarchy in both Tema and Accra to provide security at the shipyard, when unionised security of the shipyard were interdicted. He said GH¢9,000 was allegedly spent by PSC Tema Shipyard to purchase hampers for the police, adding that GH¢3,000 was raised from payment vouchers and paid to the regional commander and his deputy. The other members are Lt. Commander (Retd) J. Kpesese, Seth Kublenu, a Master Mariner, Mr George Winful, Auditor-Generals Department, Mr Kwadwo Owusu-Ansah, Ministry of Transport, as member-secretary, and a representative from the Ghana Maritime Authority. Source: Times/Ghana