The Ghana Auctioneers Association has urged President John Dramani Mahama, Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, and the Ministry of the Interior to probe what it describes as increasing attempts by individuals to bypass established public auction procedures using purportedly unauthorised letters from government offices.
The Association alleges that certain individuals are presenting letters allegedly issued from the Office of the Chief of Staff to interfere in ongoing auction processes, intimidate members, and, in some instances, redirect or take over vehicles and items that have been officially designated for auction.
According to the group, these actions are not only obstructing legitimate auction activities but are also weakening binding agreements granted to licensed auctioneers for the sale of public assets.
The General Secretary of the Association, Henry Maama Nelson, described the situation as worrying and called for a comprehensive investigation into the matter.
He made the comments on Friday, April 10, during an interview with Citi News.
He noted that in some cases, individuals present such letters to directors of state institutions during ongoing auction processes, resulting in interference and the diversion of items designated for auction.
“There are persons who claim they have received letters from the Chief of Staff’s office and then go to the directors of various institutions. That is usually when we have been mandated to dispose of items by public auction, and they infiltrate the process,” he said.
Mr Nelson further claimed that, in some situations, auctioneers are bypassed altogether as vehicles are taken away prior to being auctioned, after which they are later pressured to issue receipts and waybills for transactions they did not handle.
“Sometimes we do not even get any of the cars to sell. They take all the cars away, and at the end of the day, they come asking you to issue receipts and waybills for cars that you have not sold,” he noted.
He has therefore called on the Ministry of Finance to fast-track the issuance of sale mandates to auctioneers, while urging individuals to refrain from interfering in regulated auction activities.
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