The Ghanaian partner of Zakhem is the extraordinarily wealthy Paul Afoko. There is a fascinating expose of some of Afoko’s activities with Zakhem in Ghana here. The sad thing is the way that money provided for development aid, and wrapped up in that language, is used to line the pockets of the ultra wealthy:
The loan facility, which was approved by the African Development Bank, was packaged as the center piece of a public-private partnership project, as well as a project in line with Ghana’s Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS), and the banks strategic policy on supporting poverty reduction by improving the investment climate and facilitating public private partnership.
http://www.eturbonews.com/11332/we-have-been-duped
Here is a report of a bribery investigation in a Zakhem project in Liberia:
This whole matter hinges on the taped conversation between Harry Greaves and Aloysius Jappah. Although neither Jappah nor Greaves definitively admitted to who was responsible for initiating the offer of $300,000 USD. It is our findings from their statements during the interrogation that an offer to give bribe or receive bribe was made and that both Mr. Greaves and Mr. Jappah participated in the transaction.
When the United Nations says “Controversial” it means “Corrupt”
Government Cancels Zakhem Contract
(Public Agenda)
The Government of Liberia has cancelled the contract entered into by the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) and Zakhem for the rehabilitation of damaged facilities of the LPRC’s facilities on the Bushrod Island.
Justice Minister Christina Tah said that the contract was not in the interest of the Liberian people and therefore it had to be nullified.
The “controversial” Zakhem contract valued at over US$25 million was negotiated for by the former managing director of LPRC, Mr. Harry Greaves who was later sacked by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
I know those facilities in Liberia.
It would take a hefty amount of cash and some serious work to get them up and running. 25mil would not cover the basic work. Friends in Liberia tell me that it was a scheme by Greaves to pocket large chunks of cash, a subject well discussed in Monrovia. I seriously doubt if the work would hace been started before the coffers were empty.
It was me who posted the review on Amazon. I would have put it on Amazon.com as well but your book isn’t available there. This is a shame because I know of no other writer who has done for Blair’s era what so many have done for Bush’s. There are a stack of books which rip apart the underbelly of recent Republican politics. Apart from your work I can only think of Robin Cook and thats at a different level. If I’m missing some please let me know.