Former Roads and Highways Minister Joe Gidisu, has disclosed that he wrote to the former Chief of Staff to reject the BMW saloon car purchased for him by the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) in 2011.
He said although the purchase of the BMW 7 series was not unusual, he rejected it on principle that it was too expensive.
During a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament sitting on Thursday, officials from the Ministry were questioned about a brand new BMW 7 series saloon car which was purchased in 2011 from a GH¢128 million road contract sum for the use of the then Minister of Roads and Highways, Joe Gidisu.
The then Director of Contract at GHA, Michael Abbey, stated that the BMW was purchased for the Minister to enable him to inspect, in comfort, work done on the road in Accra.
Joe Gidisu
But Mr. Gidisu has explained to Citi FM that ‘when the car was brought, and upon examining the car, I wrote back to the Chief of Staff at the time on 5th of July, 2011, that looking at the brand of car that was brought…doesn’t fit my lifestyle so I was giving up the vehicle to the protocol section of the Castle so that they will give me a more simplified vehicle.’
Mr. Gidisu maintained that he rejected the vehicle because it was costly and under no circumstance did he use it as intended.
He expressed surprise that the issue was being misinterpreted since he did not use the BMW saloon car, which is at the centre of the controversy after the Public Accounts Committee raised the matter on Thursday.
Mr. Giddisu also told Citi FM that the re-introduction of the vehicle saga in the media was the work of enemies within the party who did not want his stay at the Ministry.
‘This news was hashed by our own NDC members at that time, who perhaps wanted me out of that office and were circulating this…and that even national security had to be forced to take the car away from me.’
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