Pressure group, OccupyGhana, has asked government to take the necessary steps to seal the loopholes in the five-year renewable $89 million Kelni-GVG contract.
According to the group, although the current deal presents a reduction in the total contract sum from the previous or existing contracts, there is the need to ensure that the deal is in conformity with the Constitution.
In a statement, the group raised issues with the payment of the contract sum which is to be made by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the National Communications Authority (NCA).
OccupyGhana is demanding from the Finance Minister that “if he has not done so already, he should immediately lay before Parliament the Legislative Instrument required to properly put in place the monthly Communications Service Tax returns required to be filed by the service providers”.
The statement demanded detailed investigation and audit by an independent expert of the mechanism to be deployed under the contract, particularly the Revenue Assurance, Specific Voice and Geographic Location Modules, to ascertain and ensure that any snoop and tap capability that is prohibited by law, does not exist.
The group also raised concerns regarding the necessity of the Mobile Money Monitoring Module of the contract when government had launched the Mobile Money Interoperability Platform which is monitored by the Bank of Ghana.
On the payment of the contract sum, OccupyGhana expressed discontent that neither the NCA nor the GRA is a party to the contract yet they are nominated by the Ministry of Communications and the Finance Ministry as their implementation agents.
“We are concerned that the payment of the Contract Sum is not part of the “expenses” of either the NCA or the GRA, and therefore cannot be paid directly out of the Internally Generated Funds of either entity…
“The law is clear on what the moneys that either the GRA or NCA receives are to be used for. They are only to retain specific portions of those moneys specifically for their “expenses” only, and the remainder “SHALL” be paid into the Consolidated Fund. Any use of those moneys on expenditure that does not fall within the “expenses” of the entities is illegal”, the statement pointed out.
Touching on privacy issues, the group said “however laudable the government’s intentions are for entering into the contract, and whatever assurances and pledges we receive that the government does not intend to snoop on or tap into our communications and correspondence, the law is simply that whatever mechanism is being deployed “SHALL NOT HAVE” snoop or tap capability”.
It therefore called on government to take the necessary steps to address the issues raised to forestall any need to resort to court to resolve the issues raised.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak