Akufo-Addo cleared of £100,000 illegal payment

The five-member committee set up to investigate allegations of unauthorized payment of £100,000 to New Patriotic Party flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo has established no such payment was made.

The committee comprising Nana Ohene Ntow, Hon. Joe Osei Wusu, Hon. Anthony Akoto Osei, Hon. Kwaku Agyeman Manu and Prof. Gyan Baffour in its final report said:

1) There was no setting up and operation of a secret account. The account in question at the Ecobank Trust Towers account was not a secret account but a party account, albeit dormant.

2) The reactivation of the account was, however, done without all the necessary consultations and information at the National Executive level.

3) The committee found that disbursements made from the Ecobank account were done pursuant to the budget drawn up and approved for the by-election in Talensi.

4) The committee found there was no truth in the allegation of disbursement of £100,000 from any NPP account to the 2016 flagbearer.

Below is the full details of the committee’s work sent to the media:

On August 19, 2015, the National Executive Committee of the New Patriotic Party set up a committee to investigate allegations bordering on the setting up of a secret, unauthorised bank account; as well as unauthorised disbursements, including a payment of £100,000 (One hundred thousand pounds sterling) to the NPP flagbearer, from that account.

The committee, whose membership comprised of Nana Ohene Ntow, Hon. Joe Osei Wusu, Hon. Anthony Akoto Osei, Hon. Kwaku Agyeman Manu and Prof. Gyan Baffour, was inaugurated on August 25, 2015.

The committee’s terms of reference were:

1. to establish the bank accounts into which party funds had been lodged;

2. to determine disbursements made out of the accounts and the purpose for those disbursements;

3. to establish the approvals for those disbursements; and

4. to investigate other related matters.

The committee, over a period of fifteen (15) sitting days, interviewed thirteen (13) witnesses. They included Nana Akufo-Addo, 2016 flagbearer; Paul Afoko, then National Chairman;Freddie Blay, then 1st National First vice Chairman; Sammy Crabbe, then National 2nd vice Chairman; Kwabena Agyepong, then General Secretary; Kwabena Abankwah Yeboah, National Treasurer; John Boadu, National Organiser; Hon. Daniel Botwe, Minority Chief Whip; Fred Oware, immediate past 1st Vice National Chairman; Esther Ofori, immediate past National Treasurer; Gifty Ama Ayeh, past Treasurer; Dr. K.K Sarpong, a representative of NPP finance committee; and Mr. Baah Achamfuor, a member of the party.

A majority report was first submitted by Hon. Joe Osei Wusu, Hon. Anthony Akoto Osei, Hon. Kwaku Agyeman Manu and Prof. Gyan Baffour on November 19; whilst a minority report, authored by Nana Ohene Ntow, was submitted December 16, 2015.

FINDINGS

Both reports of the committee unanimously found, inter alia, that:

5) There was no setting up and operation of a secret account. The account in question at the Ecobank Trust Towers account was not a secret account but a party account, albeit dormant.

6) The reactivation of the account was, however, done without all the necessary consultations and information at the National Executive level.

7) The committee found that disbursements made from the Ecobank account were done pursuant to the budget drawn up and approved for the by-election in Talensi.

8) The committee found there was no truth in the allegation of disbursement of £100,000 from any NPP account to the 2016 flagbearer.

The minority report arose out of the decision by Nana Ohene Ntow to make supplementary recommendations to which the other four members of the committee strongly objected on the grounds that they were either not within the committee’s terms of reference or warranted by the evidence before the committee.

The National Executive Committee authorised this release to inform the general public about the outcome of the committee’s work.

……signed……

Nana Akomea

Director of Communications