The Board Chairman of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GHAPOHA) Peter Mac Manu has described as “bogus and rubbish” accusation of conflict of interest leveled against him by Staff of the Authority in the Western Region.

The Staff allege he has given lots of contracts to his wife and children.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, 24 May 2018, the chairman of the Senior Staff Association, John Aseeph, alleged that the wife of the former New Patriotic Party (NPP) chairman has taken over ticketing for staff travels, adding the Authority “is being priced at cut-throat prices.”

“We are paying two and three times more than other competitors are offering for ticketing,” he alleged.

They are therefore appealing to President Akufo-Addo to dismiss Mr. Mac Manu as board chairman.

According to Mr. Aseeph, the chairman has imposed himself on the board of the Marine Ports Services.

The Union further accused Mr Mac Manu of awarding a $4 million contract to wire the newly constructed electrical and materials block of GHAPOHA to his own company.

“He has for himself seven companies in the Port – five Stevedore companies and two cleaning companies. If the board needs to take decision on Stevedore companies in the port of which the board chair alone holds five, how can he hold fairness at such a time,” Mr. Aseeph stressed.

He added: “He is intimidating management staff, and as well interfering in the day to day running of the Authority.”

However Mr. Mac Manu in an interview with Kasapa News insisted that the allegations are baseless and must be treated with the contempt that it deserves.

“How can I award a contract to myself when nothing of that sort has come to the Board, I’m telling you on authority that since I became the Board Chairman there hasn’t been one agenda that has included procurement and you can verify that. There’s no iota of truth that I’ve awarded a $4million contract to myself. I repeat no tender issue has come to the Board.

“I’ve been in travel agency for the past 35 years so it’s not as though I went into that business as soon as NPP came to power. I don’t know where they got their prices. When I come to Accra I show all the prices of the tickets that have been issued to GHPA and their invoices to the media to crosscheck from the Airlines if someone has indeed inflated the prices by %100 as they claim. Their allegations are lies and bogus, total rubbish.”