Finance Minister Attacks Atta Mills

Finance Minister, Yaw Osafo Maafo says former Vice President, John Evans Atta Mills has no moral right to demand his resignation over the International Financial Consortium (IFC) loan transaction. Professor Mills told journalists on Wednesday that the Head of government's Economic Management Team, Senior Minister J. H Mensah, the Finance Minister and the Governor of Bank of Ghana displayed gross incompetence and lack of candor in their dealings with the people of Ghana.

He added that their credibility is zero and their continued stay in office will hold back the progress of the economy.

But Mr. Osafo Maafo minced no words in reacting sharply to Prof Mills when he spoke to JOY FM. He made reference to Prof. Mills’ role in the controversial purchase of the Presidential aircraft from Gallen.

“Professor Mills was the Head of the NDC’s Economic Management Team and it was under Professor Mills supervision that we bought that plane from Gallen. You know how they went about this agreement. They used the Ghana Armed Forces money arising out of peacekeeping operations in New York to guarantee the loan and I’ve never heard of such arrangement in terms of repayment… If Professor Mills has the moral courage to undertake the number one job in Ghana, then I don’t know”.

The Finance Minister says his attempts to renegotiate payments for the aircraft failed because Prof. Mills had signed documents giving Gallen automatic access to funds accruing to the military from their peacekeeping missions.

Finance Minister, Yaw Osafo Maafo says former Vice President, John Evans Atta Mills has no moral right to demand his resignation over the International Financial Consortium (IFC) loan transaction. Professor Mills told journalists on Wednesday that the Head of government's Economic Management Team, Senior Minister J. H Mensah, the Finance Minister and the Governor of Bank of Ghana displayed gross incompetence and lack of candor in their dealings with the people of Ghana.

He added that their credibility is zero and their continued stay in office will hold back the progress of the economy.

But Mr. Osafo Maafo minced no words in reacting sharply to Prof Mills when he spoke to JOY FM. He made reference to Prof. Mills’ role in the controversial purchase of the Presidential aircraft from Gallen.

“Professor Mills was the Head of the NDC’s Economic Management Team and it was under Professor Mills supervision that we bought that plane from Gallen. You know how they went about this agreement. They used the Ghana Armed Forces money arising out of peacekeeping operations in New York to guarantee the loan and I’ve never heard of such arrangement in terms of repayment… If Professor Mills has the moral courage to undertake the number one job in Ghana, then I don’t know”.

The Finance Minister says his attempts to renegotiate payments for the aircraft failed because Prof. Mills had signed documents giving Gallen automatic access to funds accruing to the military from their peacekeeping missions.