Businessman Anthony Saoud talks to Komla Dumor about the role that Giselle Yajzi played in the negotiations for "Hotel Kufuor".
Komla: What make you think she was not serious?
Saoud: The lady did all the talking and I said I don?t want to hear talks. I told my son in law that I want to see somebody serious with money.
She said she has got money from Spanish government to build a charitable hospital in Ghana and she said she has got $ 2 million grant.
Then I looked at my son in law and said, ah! Does she think I want to sell my hotel for $ 2million? Not even half of what I have asked for.
Komla: Who is this lady and whom was she representing?
Saoud: From what I know, I had doubts that she is serious about the hotel so I lost interest. She upset me. She said she was a Spanish investor.
Komla: Did she ever suggest that if you don?t sell, then maybe some arm-twisting from some other place might influence you to sell?
Saoud: Even if she had told me this I wouldn?t have believed her because nobody can twist my arm. If she had told me this I would have been angrier. My son engaged in the negotiations told me that there was some consortium?
Komla: How was the payment made?
Saoud: Payment was made in two installments, one I do not know which one was the first, but one was $1.5m and the other was $2m.
Komla: So the transaction has been completed. Then there is this controversy from where you stand; you don?t have anything to do with the controversy because you are just a businessman who sold the hotel?
Saoud: sure that is right, I don?t have anything to do with the controversy, I have been paid my due. The onus doesn?t lie on me anymore.
