Ghanaian equipment supplier J.A. Plant Pool (Ghana) Limited is pushing back hard against allegations that it was overpaid by $2 million under a government road contract — calling the claim a misunderstanding caused by a paperwork error, not corruption.

The company’s response comes after Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Dominic Ayine revealed that the government had demanded a refund from J.A. Plant Pool following what he described as “financial irregularities” uncovered in the District Roads Improvement Programme (DRIP) — a $176 million deal to supply road construction equipment.

Speaking at a government accountability event on Wednesday, Ayine said a forensic review of the contract showed the company received $2 million more than it should have.

But in a statement released Thursday, J.A. Plant Pool dismissed the accusations as “unfortunate” and “misleading,” saying they tell only part of the story.

“The disclosure presents a partial narrative of the issues and risks tarnishing the company’s hard-earned reputation built over years of diligent service,” the company said.

‘It Was a Typo, Not an Overpayment’

The company insists there was no extra money paid at all. According to J.A. Plant Pool, the official contract amount wasn’t $176 million, as claimed by the Attorney-General, but $178,704,739.50 — a figure that was approved and signed off by all parties involved.

The company says the smaller number cited by the government came from a clerical mistake in the Public Procurement Authority’s approval letter — an error that was reported as soon as it was discovered.

“It is factually incorrect to assert that the contract sum was USD 176 million,” the company said. “The supposed overpayment stemmed from a clerical mistake … which was promptly reported to the approving authorities.”

Pushing Back on Tax and Overpricing Claims

J.A. Plant Pool also denied other allegations made by the Attorney-General — including claims of GHS 38.7 million (about $2.6 million) in unpaid taxes and over-invoicing on imported equipment.

The company said it has always complied with Ghana’s tax laws, declaring all imports to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and keeping them under bonded warehouse supervision.

“The claim that JAPP imported and cleared 190 pieces of equipment under false tax exemption claims is incorrect,” the statement said. “Only 99 semi-knocked-down components were imported to support maintenance operations, not for separate commercial gain.”

On the pricing issue, J.A. Plant Pool argued that the DRIP contract — covering 2,420 units of road equipment — was fair and offered good value, especially compared to a previous government deal worth $1.3 billion for similar machines.

A Broader Anti-Corruption Push

The Attorney-General’s findings are part of a broader government effort to recover funds linked to questionable public contracts. But J.A. Plant Pool says it’s being unfairly dragged into the controversy over what it calls a simple paperwork mistake.

For now, the company says it’s cooperating with authorities to clear its name — but it’s also warning that public accusations without context could do real harm to a business that’s been working with the government for decades.

Source:TheDotNews