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Esther Cobbah denies receiving GNPC cash

Esther Cobbah said "No amount has been paid yet, no payment has been made to date."

 

Esther Cobbah, a former Public Affairs Manager of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation has denied claims of receiving payment as end of service benefits.

In a statement, she said "as at now, no payment has been made to me by GNPC though I am owed significant amounts for work done and from my contributions to the Provident Fund whilst I was in the employment of the Corporation."

She argued that the claims by K.T. Hammond appear to be attempts to "deny me my due after service that I have rendered to the Corporation."

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Authorities of GNPC on Monday, November 30, 2015 confirmed the payment of end of service benefits to some senior management personnel who were removed from office in 2001.

This comes at the back when the Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa, Mr K.T. Hammond who had expressed concerns about the quantum paid to each individual called for a probe of the payments arguing it was illegal.

He said the various sums paid to the individuals had been taken out of monies approved by Parliament for GNPC to use for some specific projects.

He alleged that Mr Tsatsu Tsikata, a former Chief Executive of GNPC who left the corporation 15 years ago had been paid GhȻ1 million as compensation for work done during his tenure as head of the organization. Mr Tsikata was removed as Chief Executive of GNPC in 2000 by former President J.J. Rawlings.

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According to Mr Hammond, another former Chief Executive, Mr Asafu Adjaye, as well as a former staff member of the corporation, Ms Esther Cobbah who headed public affairs, received almost GhȻ1 million and about GhȻ600,000 respectively.

These monies, according to Mr Hammond, were meant for specific projects. He explained that out of the $342 million which accrued to Ghana from the sale of oil this year, $98.3 million was set aside for the GNPC to use for some specific projects.

But Esther Cobbah responding to the allegations said, "I worked in various capacities for GNPC from 1989 when I set up the Public Affairs Department of the Corporation, including being Public Affairs Manager. In 1999, I was sent on secondment to the West African Gas Pipeline project as the External Affairs Manager. I set up the External Affairs Department of the project with staff from the four countries – Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana. I was in that role when in May 2001, I went with the Project Manager, an employee of Chevron, to a meeting at the office of the then Minister of Energy of Ghana. Quite unexpectedly, the Minister announced that the Government was removing from the project."

She explained that though her appointment as External Affairs Manager of the West African Gas Pipeline project, "I decided not to contest the issue, having regard to the circumstances of the day."

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She said, "No amount has been paid yet, no payment has been made to date."

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