Accra - A French company allegedly paid $1 million to a body headed by Ghana's former first lady Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings to successfully acquire a rubber firm, press reports said on Wednesday.
The reports said Etienne Popeler, former managing director of Ghana Rubber Estate Limited (GREL), told a high court on Tuesday that the French firm, the Societe Internationale de Plantations d'Heveas (SIPH), bribed an official of Rawlings' institute, the 31st December Women's Movement (DWM) between 1995 and 1996.
Sherry Ayitey, a former treasurer of the DWM, is accused of accepting bribes from the French company when she sat on a national privatisation committee.
To push for privatisation
The bribes were aimed at persuading Ayitey to push for the privatisation of Ghana Rubber Estate Ltd, a state-owned company at the time, so that it could be purchased by the French firm.
Popeler told the court that bribes were paid to Ayitey.
Seperate bribes were also made to former trade minister Dan Abodakpi and the former executive secretary of Ghana's Divestiture Implementation Committee, Emmanuel Agbodo, the witness said.
The accused were awarded bail. The hearing has been adjourned to February 12.
President John Kufuor took office in January last year after winning December 2000 elections that ended the 19-year rule of Jerry Rawlings.
The head of state has repeatedly promised to heal Ghana's political and social wounds and investigate corruption.
Rawlings' party has accused Kufuor's government of launching a witchhunt against its members and former government ministers, and of pressing false corruption charges against them.
