The Minority in Parliament has kicked against $11,040,425 million loan request to purchase Night Vision Binoculars and Monoculars for the Ghana Armed Forces.
The amount is a down payment to the supplier FInanciere DUC, Luxembourg after a contract was signed with the government of Ghana.
Speaking to Joy FM, Builsa North MP, James Agalga said the prices being offered must be reviewed. The MP said he found same equipment being sold at a far lower price online than has been stated in the deal.
“You’ll find some as low as $1,000 and the highest is around $3,000 but we are being told that we are going to buy them at $6,850. That is why this report should indicate the exact specifications of the equipment.
“That is very important because these days, all these accessories are on the internet. You don’t need to go to a shop to buy them,†he added.
He wondered “how can we tax Ghanaians and waste it in the way that we are proposing to do.â€
Mr. Agalga wanted the Finance Committee to withdraw the proposal, reassess the deal again and come back to the House with better information because the current one is flawed.
He said while is not against the equipping of the Armed Forces, “we owe the taxpayer the responsibility to ensure that there is value for money when we are engaged in these purchases.
“We should not say because it is the military, we will gloss over everything,†he lamented.
According to Parliament’s Finance Committee, the equipment and accessories will be used by the military to defend the territorial waters of Ghana.
The Committee had previously proposed $66 million but had to divide the project into three phases – each due to funding challenges.
Each equipment is expected to cost $6,850.
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