Akwaaba Foundation a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Kumasi, has threatened to sue the Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA) over alleged malpractices in its offices countrywide. It alleged that the Kumasi office of the Authority, in particular, had been issuing licences to undeserving persons who pay bribes. This, the Foundation believes, has contributed immensely to the increasing road carnage that has claimed more than 600 lives in the first quarter of this year and blamed the DVLA for being responsible for about 90 per cent of the accidents on the country's roads. Mr. Joseph Boakye, Executive Director of the foundation, in an interview with the Times Monday, claimed that he had concrete proof that the DVLA had been taking bribes to issue licences to undeserving persons with no basic knowledge in driving. For instance, he said, to gather evidence to support his claim, he took two people who had no knowledge in driving to the Authority. He claimed that the DVLA collected GH¢290 and issued D and B-class licences to the two people to drive heavy duty vehicles and cars. According to him, the Authority did not even bother to take them through any driving test after taking the money despite the fact that the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) in 2008, reported that 93 per cent of road accidents were caused by drivers. "This is why we are suing the Authority for lack of professionalism which has contributed to the carnage on the country's roads," he emphasised. The Ashanti Regional Licensing Officer, Noah Tetteh Matey, admitted that "some malpractices are going on here but as I am only one person, I cannot see everything." He however, told the Times yesterday that malpractices were found in many other institutions in the country and that "the NGO can go ahead and sue us". Meanwhile, Mr. Matey, disclosed that the DVLA had set up a five-member committee to investigate allegation of corrupt practices in the office. Mr. Kwame Koduah Atuahene, Information Manager of NRSC, in a telephone interview said there were many drivers with invalid and expired licences and added that available statistics to the Commission indicated that 15 per cent of drivers bribed their way to acquire licences. The situation, he said, had serious safety implications as in real terms as only 133 out of 700 drivers interviewed were operating with valid licences. Meanwhile, the DVLA has admitted it has problems and has consequently set up a committee to investigate alleged malpractices in driver licence administration at the Kumasi regional office. The committee, which is to submit its report within two weeks, is made up of the Director, Driver Training, Testing and Licensing, the Deputy Director, Audit, a representative each of the Management Information Systems Department of the DVLA Union as well as the regional licensing officer. Mr. J.M.Y. Amegashie, acting Chief Executive of the DVLA, told the Times in an interview that he had requested the regional licensing officer to respond to the allegations. On March 17 and 23, the Insight, a private newspaper under the headline, 'Merchants of Death,' published among other things that fake licences were being issued to persons who were not tested at the Kumasi office. The Editor of the newspaper, Livingston Pay Charlie, was one of those who obtained the licence in Kumasi. The second publication of March 23 alleged that one Nicholas Brobbey-Baah also acquired his driver license B without being tested. Source: Ghanaian Times