Epistle writing runs through our blood – Ayariga tells Amidu

Member for Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central Constituency, Mahama Ayariga has informed Martin Amidu in a letter that he should be expecting epistle writings from him as a response to some matters the Special Prosecutor’s office raised against him.

According to him, it is not wrong to state that Mr Amidu passed on the trait of epistle writing to him (Mahama Ayariga) his true son.

Mr Ayariga has been sued by the Special Prosecutor and he is facing five counts of among other things, evasion of duties and taxes. Joined to the suit is one Kendrick Akwasi Marfo of ATLAS-Rent-A-Car Company.

In the writ, “Mahama Ayariga aged 44 years in November 2017 at Tema in the Greater Accra Region did fraudulently evade customs duties and taxes by paying GH¢6,062.86 instead of the approved duties and taxes of GH¢36,597.15 to clear three Toyota V8 Land Cruisers.”

He is also accused of allegedly “selling three Toyota V8 Land Cruisers with registration numbers GR 2220-18, GR 2221-18 and GR 2222-18 meant to be used for your official duties as a Member of Parliament to Kendrick Akwasi Marfo of ATLAS-Rent-A-Car at a price of GH¢40,000 each.”

The Bawku Central MP is also among other things being accused by the Special Prosecutor of transferring “foreign exchange from Ghana through an unauthorized dealer contrary to sections 15(3) and 29(1) of the Foreign Exchange Act 2006, Act 723.”

The MP is expected to appear before the court on Tuesday, June 4, 2019, but has sent a letter to the Special Prosecutor stating that he is not obliged to honour the invitation because Parliament will be in session and sitting.

He said “Any conduct on your part that in any way impedes or obstructs my right to be in Parliament on 4th June and represent the good people of Bawku will amount to Contempt of Parliament.”

As an initial response to Mr Amidu’s letter to the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Ayariga indicated “I just returned from Abuja in Nigeria where I was attending the ECOWAS Parliament as a member of Ghana’s delegation to that Parliament.”

Read Ayariga’s full letter below