Former President John Dramani Mahama who lost the 2016 general elections due to huge corruption-related scandals under his administration is now weeping over corruption tag hanging around his neck.
This follows a report by the Organized and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), one of the largest investigative journalism organizations in the world, that some members of the erstwhile Mahama administration acquired properties worth $8,409,400 in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), under suspicious circumstances.
Reacting to the corruption tag, Mr. Mahama blasted the publisher of the Daily Dispatch, Ben Ephson, over the story his newspaper published alleging that certain appointees in his previous administration spent over $8 million on luxury properties in Dubai.
In a statement released on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, Joyce Bawah Mogtari, the spokesperson for the NDC flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, vehemently maintained that her boss is incorruptible, and also slammed Ben Ephson for attempting to sully the reputation of Mahama.
The former President’s aide accused Mr Ephson of deliberately ignoring the alleged pervasive corruption in the current Akufo-Addo administration while trying to divert attention from the pressing issue of state capture.
She said the story was a “syndicated” effort to distract the public and malign Mahama’s reputation, adding that “The recent NPP syndicated story, deviously using Mahama’s name as a distraction, is just another ploy to divert attention from the alarming state capture that is unfolding under this administration.
“The looting of state lands and properties has reached unprecedented levels and has been a topic of discussion in the past few weeks. This syndicated story is, therefore, just another diversion to distract the public’s attention.”
Joyce Bawah Mogtari lamented that the false accusations peddled by Ben Ephson and the New Patriotic Party cannot tarnish the reputation of John Dramani Mahama, who has been vindicated from their relentless smear campaigns
“No amount of loose and imagined associations from Ben Ephson and his NPP friends can overturn this immutable fact that Mahama stands vindicated from all their mudslinging.”
She reaffirmed that the former President is poised to reclaim the presidency and implement a comprehensive economic revitalization plan for Ghana.
Additionally, she vowed that Mahama will ensure accountability and transparency by investigating and prosecuting corrupt officials within the current NPP administration, who have been accused of malfeasance and mismanagement.
“Rest assured, Mr. Mahama will reclaim the presidency to revitalize Ghana’s economy and hold corrupt NPP officials accountable.”
Mahama As Govt Official One
Former President John Dramani Mahama was described as ‘Government Official 1’ in the Airbus Bribery Scandal by Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu in a report where about £5million was allegedly collected as bribe over some aircraft deal.
Martin Amidu said, “The only reason the former President [Mahama] has not been invited for interrogation (in spite of all threats from some of his followers and lawyers) is the fact that he got himself an insurance as the Presidential candidate of the other largest political party in Ghana.”
There have been several corruption scandals under Mahama’s NDC leadership relating to Government contracts awarded to his brother as well as over-inflating costs on contracts.
NPP had alleged that he was connected to the almost 600 million dollar Ameri Power deal.
Two Norwegian investigative journalists alleged a fraudulent deal on 10 power turbines from Ameri Group of Dubai after the NDC Government entered into a Built, Operate, Own, and Transfer agreement with Ameri Energy of Dubai for the supply of 10 turbines with 230-250MW capacity of power.
There were strong accusations the project was costed at a lot more than it was worth – experts said the turbines should cost $220 million, asking where the extra $360 million was meant to go.
Smartty’s Bus Branding Saga
News headlines in late 2015 were dominated by the Smarttys bus branding scandal, where 116 Metro Mass Transit (MMT) buses were rebranded for GH¢3.6 million.
The cost of rebranding these buses was seen as ludicrous and the Attorney General got involved, demanding refunds.
The outcry led to the resignation of the Minister of Transport, the late Dzifa Attivor.
Also under Mahama was the 2013 GYEEDA scandal, where millions of cedis were paid to contractors of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA).
Ford Saga
Former President Mahama also caused outrage across Ghana when it was revealed he accepted a gift of a Ford vehicle from a construction firm bidding for a lucrative government contract.
The contractor from Burkina Faso, who had previously built a wall on Ghanaian Embassy land in Ouagadougou, gifted the Ford in 2012.
The NPP said the gift was a bribe to get a road-building contract in Ghana’s Volta region that the same contractor later secured.
Former President Mahama himself called the accusations “baseless”.
The vehicle he said was a gift and had been added to the government car pool.
Mr. Mahama was cleared of the corruption allegations by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) which said in a 78-page report that a claim of conflict of interest against Mahama “has not been substantiated”.
However, it did find Mahama guilty of breaching government rules on the acceptance of gifts.
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