By Gifty Boateng
FORMER Energy Minister Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh – aka ‘NAPO’ – is facing a HUGE probe by the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) over a string of shocking contracts
The bigwig, who was tipped for vice-presidency, is now among a long list of big-name politicians from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) being dragged in to explain themselves.
Barely five months after leaving office, the floodgates have opened! Ex-National Signals Bureau boss Kwabena Adu-Boahene, former National Service Authority officials, and even NPP Ashanti Regional chairman Bernard Anwti-Boasiako have either been charged or are under the microscope.
Sources close to the NIB say NAPO has been a regular visitor to their Accra offices as the net tightens around him. This comes hot on the heels of Bernard Antwi-Boasiako’s arrest and ex-Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta’s no-show with the Special Prosecutor.
But what’s it all about? NAPO’s staying tight-lipped, only admitting the grilling is about his time as Education Minister between 2017 and 2020.
The man credited with the chaotic rollout of the Free Senior High School (FSHS) program is now under fire for some seriously dodgy deals.
First up, the scandalous purchase of 853,009 Kapek Scientific Mathematical Instruments. But that’s not all
He’s also facing questions over a sole-sourced deal to supply laptops to pre-tertiary teachers. Unions claim there’s NO RECORD of the transaction with the Public Procurement Authority (PPA). And get this – the laptops, initially priced at GHc1,500, mysteriously jumped to GHc1,851 each
Insiders reveal that NAPO’s deputy, Dr. Yaw Adutwum, later claimed the order to use a Single-Sourced procurement process came directly from NAPO himself. The contract was signed a mere three weeks before the 2020 general election – how convenient
Two teacher unions even dragged the government to court, claiming the laptop costs were inflated by over 300% and were being forced onto teachers’ professional development allowances against their will.
As if that wasn’t enough, The New Republic is independently digging into NAPO’s alleged involvement in corrupt deals in Ghana’s oil sector during his time as Energy Minister.
And the real bombshell? This paper is also shining a light on his alleged $12 MILLION mansion nestled in the Aburi Mountains
Questions are being asked about how a man who reportedly needed a scholarship for his own education could suddenly afford such a lavish pad. Even the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) is said to be hot on his heels for money laundering allegations
Unlike other high-profile arrests, NAPO’s NIB invites were kept secret until he himself spilled the beans.
“Nobody can escape accountability,” NAPO reportedly said, adding that he’s been to the NIB twice and admitted, “I’ve forgotten some of the issues; I can’t remember everything that happened while I was in office.”
He even warned fellow politicians: “Today, you can be in power; the next day, you could be in opposition. So politicians in power should always be mindful of what they do with the authority entrusted to them.”
Is this the beginning of the end for NAPO? Watch this space.