Painstaking parliamentary oversight has uncovered a grand callous, dangerous, murderous and corrupt scheme that puts the health of Senior High School students in extreme jeopardy.
An unimpeachable investigation from SOA Insight, led Member of Parliament for Nouth Tongu, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa reveals how a crony company allowed to re-package over 15,000 50kg bags of expired and contaminated rice into different 50kg bags without expiry dates under the full protection of some political heavyweights in the country.
This expired and contaminated rice has been delivered to Senior High Schools across the country and fed to students.
On 20th December, 2023, the Ashanti Regional Office of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) received an alert from a patriotic Ghanaian about a suspicious re-packaging exercise which had not been authorized by the FDA.
This unauthorized re-packaging was shockingly being carried out at the storage facility of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO) in the Ashanti Region.
When FDA officials acted on the alert, it emerged that a similar alert had been received by the Ashanti Regional Police Command and the command had promptly moved in to close the storage facility.
The FDA and the Ashanti Regional Police Command then commenced investigations into the matter.
The Ashanti Regional FDA’s investigations also revealed findings as contained in an intercepted report signed by its Ashanti Regional Head, John Laryea Odai-Tettey:
1. Moshosho Rice (25% broken white rice) with registration number FDA/Ce 20-701 was imported by Lamens Investments Africa Limited.
2. The Notify Party is the National Food Buffer Stock Company.
3. The rice was exported from India by Satya Balajee Rice Industries PVT Ltd.
4. In all 33,000 bags of 50kg bags of rice were imported.
5. The National Food Buffer Stock storage facility in Kumasi received 22,000 bags of 50kg rice by the time of the alert, whilst the remaining 10,000 bags were being kept at a bonded warehouse in Tema known as Lynbrok.
6. Lamens Investments Africa and National Food Buffer Stock realizing that the best before date for the Moshosho Rice was December 2023 started criminally re-packaging the Moshosho Rice from its original yellow 50kg polypropylene bags into white 50kg polypropylene bags with the inscription “CEDAO ECOWAS Regional Food Security Reserve.”
7. Whilst the best before date on the original Moshosho Rice packaging was December 2023, there was no date on the new bags being used for the re-packaging. This contravenes the General Labelling Regulation, LI 1541.
8. The country of origin (India) was also changed to Ghana concealing the true identity of the rice and creating a false narrative that Buffer Stock and the Free SHS Secretariat were distributing Made-in-Ghana rice.
9. This illegal re-packaging was carried out without FDA’s approval as required by law.
10. The National Food Buffer Stock storage facility had neither been licensed for storage or re-packaging contrary to the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851)
11. It was determined that the NAFCO storage facility had no qualified or trained person to supervise its activities.
President Akufo-Addo’s appointed CEO of the National Food Buffer Stock Company is Alhaji Hanan Abdul-Wahab. He is also the NPP’s Parliamentary Candidate for the Pusiga Constituency.
The Board of the National Food Buffer Stock Company is chaired by the NPP’s National Organizer, Henry Nana Boakye.
It is most instructive to note that the importer, Lamens Investments Africa Ltd has admitted to its wrongdoing and agreed to pay an administrative fine of GHS100,000.00 according to our source.
Indeed, additional intercepted documents confirm that Lamens paid a 50% deposit of the fine to the FDA amounting to GHS50,000.00. It was received by the FDA on January 5, 2024. (See evidence of payment and Lamens admission of guilt attached.)
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