Mr P.V. Obeng, a former top advisor under the Provisional Defence Council (PNDC) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) administrations, on Friday de nied claims that he took bribes from Norwegian cement giant, SCANCEM."I know nothing of the alleged payments whatsoever and certainly nothing about the alleged Bank accounts in Switzerland or elsewhere," he said in a statement emailed to GNA from London."I wish to state here and now quite categorically that I have never ever made any admissions or any statements, to any person, in whatever shape or form which can even be remotely interpreted as an admission of receipts of any sums of money as consultancy payments from SCANCEM whilst in public office."Indeed I could not have made any admissions to matters which simply did not happen."An official of the Company who is in court in Norway for embezzlement has said he paid bribes into two separate accounts allegedly owned by Mr Obeng and former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings. Nana Konadu has also dismissed the allegations. Giving his side of the story he said he received and completed a questionnaire for a Norwegian newspaper and then received a phone call whilst in London from a journalist in Ghana."In the very brief conversation the reporter sought to know if I knew about a court case in Norway involving Mr. Tor Kjelsaas and his former employers, Scancem."The very poor connection did not allow for any lengthy conversation, which was in any case terminated when the line got cut off. It appears my simple reply to his queries is now what has been twisted or misinterpreted as my alleged admission to the receipt of millions of dollars for consultancy payments."Mr. Obeng said his Company did some consulting work for the Norwegian company SCANCEM after he left public office in December 1996 and had been paid for its services.He said he registered his consultancy company in the middle of 1997 after leaving public office in December 1996, and began a search for clients.He said in 1998 his consultancy firm was retained by four companies; two from Norway one from the United Kingdom and the other from the United States of America"One of the Norwegian companies was SCANCEM with whom my company entered into a retainer agreement which began in mid 1998 and expired in December, 2006."The monthly retainer fees paid by the company was exceedingly low even by local standards but we continued to work for them with the view of building the necessary foundation for the company and to build a good corporate profile." Mr Obeng said he did not work as a consultant for SCANCEM and SCANCEM never engaged him to work for them in any manner while in public office."Indeed I can emphatically say that during my long stay in pubic office I did not accept to serve on boards of companies, whether public or private, foreign or local because I am acutely aware of the conflict of interest situations I might be placed in. It obviously will defy logic to place myself in such a position in relation to SCANCEM".He said he had referred the matter to his solicitors "with firm instructions to take immediate, necessary and prudential steps to redeem the damage done to my image and reputation and certainly to assert the true state of affairs and specifically to circulate this matter to the Ghanaian Press".Source:GNA
