$6m bribe theft: Ofosu Kwakye sues EC Commissioner for defamation

A former Deputy Minister of Communication in the John Mahama administration, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has commenced legal action against Mrs Pauline Dadzawa, a Commissioner at the Electoral Commission (EC), for alleging he stole $6 million of a $12 million bribe meant to influence the commissioners to rig the results of the 2016 elections in favour of the then-incumbent Mahama administration.

The defamation suit, filed at the High Court on Tuesday, 3 July 2018 follows the issuance of a press statement by Mr Kwakye Ofosu of his intention to seek legal redress if the purported allegation were not withdrawn.

An audio recording containing Mrs Dadzawa’s allegations, claimed Mr Ofosu Kwakye divided the money into two, kept half and gave the other half to then-Chair of the EC, Mrs Charlotte Osei, upon realising the results could not be rigged in favour of the NDC.

Mr Kwakye Ofosu said in his statement on Saturday, 30 June 2018 “the claims made by Mrs Dadzawa are false, baseless and malicious and a figment of her obviously fertile imagination”, and insisted that “at no time before, during or after the 2016 elections, was I given money by anyone for the purpose described by her”.

Mr Kwakye Ofosu added that he has not acquired any mansions as being alleged by his opponents. He said his critics are wrongly linking him to certain comments made by the founder of the NDC that an official of the past government bought houses at East Legon at $3million shortly after the 2016 elections.

"I have also noted that some NPP (New Patriotic Party) activists, operating mostly from the Presidency, have splashed posts and pictures on social media that seek to use Mrs. Dadzawa’s falsehoods to justify yet another falsehood: that I was the subject of claims by former President Rawlings at this year’s June 4th event at Madina, that an official of the previous government had purchased two houses in Accra at $3 million.

"While acknowledging that Mr Rawlings did not mention my name or attribute the said house purchase to me in his speech, I wish to state that I have not bought any houses of the sort described by Mr. Rawlings," he explained.

He has subsequently urged the public to disregard the allegations against him.