5 more government cars retrieved

The Asset Retrieval Taskforce set up by the Presidency has retrieved five more vehicles allegedly belonging to the state.

The operation was carried out at Nsawam in the Eastern Region.

The vehicles were located upon a tip-off and were retrieved by the team after a raid at a property in Ofori-Kuma in the early hours of Wednesday, June 21.

The cars included two Toyota Land Cruisers, a BMW saloon car, a Mitsubishi Pajero and one other vehicle.

Assets Retrieval Officer Akwasi Abebrese explained that they saw “SPD vehicles including Land Cruisers and many other cars and after confronting the owner of the property, he said the cars are seized cars from court and he did not mention the name of the court…”

Just last week, an auto mechanic who was contracted by the Mahama administration to repair state-owned vehicles was also found to have acquired 10 of such vehicles: four (4) Toyota Land Cruisers, four (4) brand new Pickups, one (1) Toyota SUV and a VW Passat, at abnormally low prices, the National Operations Commander of the Vehicle Retrieval Task Force, Daasebre Kwabena Ahenkorah, revealed.

According to Mr Ahenkorah, two SUVs have been retrieved from the mechanic, Mr Asem Emmanuel, at Olebu-Ablekuma, a suburb of Accra.

He said Mr Asem Emmanuel had diverted several state vehicles that were sent to him for repairs into his own garages.

Mr Ahenkorah, who is also the Assistant Divisional Officer at Kotoka International Airport, told Accra-based Kasapa FM’s Fiifi Banson on Thursday 15 June in an interview that Asem Emmanuel had been changing the registration numbers of the state cars before diverting them into his two garages.

He said the mechanic admitted buying state vehicles at very low prices from elements of the previous administration.

Receipts covering the purchase of the said vehicles showed that the four brand new Double Cabin Pickups were bought at a total sum of GH¢18,000 while each of the four Toyota Land Cruisers was bought at GH¢2,000 totalling GH¢8,000.

Mr Ahenkorah said it is only the Toyota V8 that was sold to Mr Asem Emmanuel at GH¢30,000.