A Document from the Architectural and Engineering Services Limited, the engineering company working on the Vice Presidential Villa, has confirmed the $13.9 million figure quoted by Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia as the actual figure for the project.
The document indicates that a total of $8,179,138.95 has been spent already on the project, with an outstanding amount of $5,789,113.71 left to be paid for the completion of the project.
Per the document, the total cost of the project is $13,968,252.66, covering the cost of stone facing works, hard wood panel doors, external electrification works, sculpture and emblems.
The revelation by the AESL document exposes the blatant lies and denial by operatives of the opposition NDC on the actual cost of the vice presidential complex.
Vice President Bawumia last week appeared to have triggered some controversy when he revealed at a forum that the former government had begun building the villa at the cost of $13.9 million.
He could not fathom why any government would sink that amount into such project at a time the country was reeling under dire economic challenges.
He wondered: "Are the gates made of gold?" He further stated that had the contract been awarded on competitive basis, the cost of the project would have, perhaps, have been far lower.
But the NDC vehemently rejected the Vice President Bawumia’s claim and accused him of petty politicking.
Former presidential staffer Clement Apaak suggested that the total cost of the project was rather $5.9 million, far lower than what had been put out by the Vice President.
However, the AESL document, dated January 2016, titled "Consultancy services for the administration and supervision of construction works for the official residence for the vice president..." actually confirms the assertion by the vice president.
It gives the breakdown of the project cost. For instance, an amount of USD676, 300 is the cost for the preliminaries or the preparatory stage of the construction, with USD100.000, USD13.695.72 being the estimated costs for demolition and basement respectively of the villa.
Ground floor alone, according to the document, is costing the country USD2,342,325,57, while the cost of first and second floors is draining the country's coffers a whooping USD¢1.6 million.
Again, lift shaft, staircase, out house, fence wall and gate houses, office for the 2nd Lady, Lounge and sundries which are part of the project cost USD 5,901,568.4429.
The Director of Communications of the NPP, Nana Akomea, last Saturday, on Joy fm's news file programme, also showed a document to back the claim of the vice president.
He insisted stated that the document "incontrovertibly substantiates the initial claim made by Bawumia", adding that the NDC cannot be trusted.
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