World Cup Committee Over-pays Caterers

A budget of Gh¢34 meant for three square meals a day per supporter at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil strangely metamorphosed into US$35.

The startling revelation came up at Tuesday’s hearing by the Commission probing Ghana’s participation at the global showpiece.

The Chairman of the Grounds, Events and Logistics sub-committee, Horace Ankrah, who appeared before the three-man Commission set up by the President, failed to explain how figures quoted in the local currency by caterers who cooked for the 600 supporters flown to Brazil, transmogrified into US dollars when the final decision was made on their payments.

According to Ankrah, the caterers had agreed with the Sports Ministry for the payment to be made in Cedis, however, documents that were tendered in evidence on Tuesday by the witness showed that the food suppliers where paid in dollars.

Below is what ensured between Justice Senyo Dzamefe and Horace Ankrah:

Horace Ankrah: My Lord we agreed on 35 dollars per head

Justice Dzamefe: Is that what they proposed to you or you decided to agree on 35 dollars?

Ankrah: My Lord we had different scenarios, 35 [dollars] so that they could come forward with a menu that we could think a 35 per head budget could accommodate.

Justice Dzamefe: Was that in dollars or Cedis

Ankrah: Yes, My Lord we quoted in dollars.

Justice Dzamefe: But what I see here is Cedis, what Kenkey Boutique gave you was in Cedis.

Ankrah: Yes my Lord we had a meeting and that was what was decided.

Justice Dzamefe: You had a meeting with the caterers and decided to quote in dollars when they had quoted in Cedis.

Ankrah: No My Lord, some of them quoted in Cedis.

Justice Dzamefe: Ok let’s take it one by one…Kenkey Boutique quoted in Cedis, how come it turned into Dollars?

Ankrah: My Lord we took that decision at the implementation level.

Justice Dzamefe: Give me the reasons why you changed it into dollars not where you took the decisions…I want the reasons [why you changed Cedis to dollars].

Ankrah: My Lord my committee was actually to examine and get to a certain point, the true engagement was actually beyond my committee. It was the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Ankrah was unable to answer who was responsible for approving the decision to price the payments in Dollars when the deliberations with the caterers were done in Cedis.