Car bribe claim ‘cock and bull’ story – Amaliba

Assertions that a Ford Expedition car gifted President John Mahama by Burkinabe contractor Djibril Kanazoe, who has been given a series of contracts by the Government of Ghana, smacks of corruption are “cock and bull” stories, Abraham Amaliba, a member of the legal team of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said.

Mr Kanazoe, according to investigations carried out by Joy FM’s Manasseh Azure Awuni, was given a series of contracts by the Government of Ghana, including a $650,000 deal to fence a tract of land around Ghana’s mission in Burkina Faso, after he had parted with the SUV.

The contract for the wall was reportedly described as “outrageous” by the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament. The Burkinabé contractor also won a €25.9 million contract for the Dodo Pepeso-Nkwanta road.

There has been public outcry over the acceptance of the car by President Mahama, with critics saying he had been conflicted, a view shared by the Minority in Parliament, which has hinted at impeaching the president over the matter.

According to the Minority Spokesperson on Constitutional and Legal Affairs, Joe Osei-Owusu, the gift was a bribe to influence the president to give out juicy deals to the said contractor, and represented a case of conflict of interest.

But Mr Abraham Amaliba said there was no wrongdoing in the acceptance of the car because there was proper documentation on the car. According to him, no one would engage in bribery and document the items exchanged in the act, therefore, to the extent that there were documents covering the transfer of the vehicle, the president could not have engaged in any wrongdoing.

He said on TV3’s New Day programme on Saturday June 18: “I say it’s a cock and bull story …If it’s a real story, I have no problem. If it’s a real story and the mother [of the president] is dead, bring it, but if it’s a cock and bull story don’t bring it …that is my view.”

But Nana Akomea, Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), also speaking on the same programme, said the arguments against the journalist who carried out the investigation should not arise.

“This business of saying that the journalist who did the investigations had some ill motive because why will when the president is bereaved and he will release this report, it should be jettisoning very quickly…is a disgraceful argument.”