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The Minority in Parliament has stated that it has uncovered a massive case of fleecing of public funds or �chop, chop� in the award of juicy contracts by agents of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC). Nana Akomea, NPP Director of Communications for the 2012 general elections, therefore called for immediate investigations into the award of contracts by the National Procurement Board, headed by ruling party big shots. He indicated that while award of contracts by District Assemblies at the local level in various parts of the country for the construction of a six-unit classroom block and its accessories cost a little over GH�72,000, the same projects awarded by the National Procurement Board controlled by NDC gurus, cost over GH�260,000. Salas Mensah, a former NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Upper West Akyem, is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Board, with Commodore Steve Obimpeh, a member of GAME (Get Atta Mills Endorsed), as Chairman. In an interview with Daily Guide, Nana Akomea pointed out that a contract awarded by the Awutu Senya District Assembly to Majak Associates Limited on November 6, 2009 for the construction of a 6-unit classroom block, office, store, staffroom, 4-seater KVIP latrine and 2-unit urinal at District Assembly (D/A) Primary at Bontrase in the Central Region cost GH�72,812.10. The NPP Director of Communications, who is also the MP for Okaikwei South, questioned why a 6-unit classroom block and its accessories, which used to cost about GH�80,000, should shoot up to over GH�260,000 in just two years, even with the claim of a downward inflation under the Atta Mills-led administration. He said there could be a lot of stealing of public money under the current procurement processes of over 90 percent of contracts awarded through sole sourcing, calling for an urgent probe. �The nation is bleeding financially as a result of sole sourcing and now an amount for three 6-unit classroom blocks is being used to do only one, whilst so many schools are still under trees,� the NPP Director of Communications lamented. The sole sourcing, which was being abused by the ruling NDC, Nana Akomea pointed out, was supposed to provide a window of opportunity for award of contracts in exceptional circumstances or emergency cases and not the norm under the Procurement Act. According to him, prices of contracts were soaring because of abuse of sole sourcing by the Procurement Board. On Wednesday, MP for Bosomtwe, Simon Osei-Mensah quizzed the Minister for Education, Betty Mould-Iddrisu, on the use of a GH�85million loan from CAL Bank Ghana Limited, approved by Parliament for the construction of classroom and dormitory blocks under the Senior High School emergency infrastructure project. However, the questions generated arguments in Parliament, with some MPs on the Minority side sensing �chop, chop�. There were shouts of �thieves�, �chop, chop�, and �greedy bastards� from the Minority side, perhaps to express their disagreement over the unit cost of the classroom and dormitory blocks, as Mrs. Betty Mould-Iddrisu quoted various amounts as costs for classroom and dormitory blocks. According to the Minister, in the Eastern Region, a 6-unit classroom block and other accompanying structures would cost GH�254,570; in Brong Ahafo, GH�263,963; Ashanti region, GH�261,681.31 and GH�260,343 in the Central region. The NDC administration, Nana Akomea observed, was always quick to deny issues of inflated contract prices through fishy procurements and sole sourcing raised by NPP and anti-corruption groups like Alliance For Accountable Governance (AFAG). The opposition NPP, he indicated, now had enough evidence to buttress its claims. The Education Minister was responding to a question filed by the MP for Bosomtwe, Simon Osei-Mensah, on the unit cost of the 161 six-unit classrooms and each of the 55 two-storey dormitory blocks approved by Parliament on March 17, 2011. As part of her answers, the Minister stated that a two-storey building would cost GH�771, 891 in the Central region; GH�671,210 in Greater Accra; GH�839,012 in Upper West; GH�822,000 in Upper East and GH�792,028 in the Northern Region. However, according to the Minister of Education, the rest of the two-storey dormitory blocks in the Eastern and Ashanti regions would cost GH�747,000 and GH�771,891 respectively, while in the Volta and Brong Ahafo regions, an amount of GH�733,331 and 778,604 respectively would be needed for the construction.