Former Governor of Rivers state, Rotimi Amaechi has disclosed why he lost $39 million to fraudsters in Rivers state.
The
Federal Minister of Transport who at his Senate hearing famously
uttered, “I have never taken bribe in my life but if they send a girl to
you and you sleep with the girl and do that favour, that means you are
corrupt”, said that he lost the money because he was only human and was
learning on the job.
Guardian reported about the fraud in 2015,
After spending N8.54 billion on a proposed 1,000-bed Adolphus Karibi
Whyte Specialist Hospital, the permanent secretary in Rivers State
Ministry of Health, Somiari Harry yesterday said there is no physical
structure at the site of the project.
Vital documents such as a
memorandum of understanding and shareholders’ agreement between the
state government and Canadian-based Clinotech Diagnostic and
Pharmaceutical Limited, which received the $39.2 million to build the
contentious hospital are said to be missing.
Harry told
the Justice George Omereji-led commission of inquiry investigating the
non-execution of the 15-storey Adolphus Karibi Whyte Specialist Hospital
after the payment of $39.2 million (equivalent to N4.6 billion in
2008), to Clinotech, that besides some parts of prefabricated buildings
littering around, containers and other equipment, there is nothing at
the site of the proposed hospital to justify the huge amount the state
government paid to the contractor.
According to him, the
concept was for the hospital to provide world-class medical services in
Port Harcourt. He said the estimated cost of the project was $98
million and based on this a memorandum of understanding and shareholders
agreement were signed by the parties, which required that the state
government would provide 40 percent of the funding, while Clinotech
would provide 60 percent.
According to him, state government paid
off its own 40 percent equity valued at $39.2 m (N4.6 billion) at the
time to Clinotech, which in turn failed to contribute its own
counterpart funding for the project.
Amaechi is seen in this video explaining how his learning on the job cost the people of Rivers state $39.2 million.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZxCeF2kugM
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