The NPP government has imported a large fleet of luxurious Rover vehicles each costing over 32,000 Euros (US$38,500) which are currently at Tema Port awaiting distribution to Ministers
Over the past four years, Ministers and other NPP government functionaries have each gone through three brand new cars. First came the Skodas. Then they allocated Volkswagen Passats and Boras to themselves.
Most of these 'used' vehicles have already been sold to government officials.
Mr. Ato Ahwoi (NDC/CJA) disclosed this at a press conference on October 3, 2005
The flamboyance of a HIPC Government: ROVER CARS FOR NPP MINISTERS!
Palaver -- Pictured on this page are part of the consignment of 40 Rover cars imported at the cost of US$34, 000.00 each or US$1.36 million less duty for the use of Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Special Assistants. Ghana Palaver can confirm that this picture of the Ministerial vehicles was taken at the Tema Harbour where they have been left uncleared since their arrival per MV Oceania on Thursday, September 29, 2005.
The Government's apparent neglect to clear the cars has been due to the unanticipated leakage of their arrival in Ghana Palaver's 'Odikro' column in our issue Vol. 12 No. 1 of Friday, October 7 –Monday, October 10, 2005.
In that 'leak', Odikro disclosed that the Rover cars are the third in the series of cars bought for the Kufuor appointees in five years, they having sold the VW Boras and the SPD vehicles allocated to them in their first term of office to themselves just before the end of their first term.
It will be recalled that in the wake of the NDC defeat of 2000, the Kufuor Government would not allow the long-serving NDC Ministers to sell their official cars, some of which were as old as between 5-7 years, to themselves. Some of the Ministers had also served as Ministers for more than ten years.
The matter finally ended up in court.
