I've Not Lived Ostentatiously - Mrs. Limann

The Former First Lady of the Third Republic, Mrs. Fulera Limann, has refuted allegations that she has lived a wealthy life since the death of her husband Dr Hilla Limann three years ago.

Speaking during last Friday's edition of the 'Front Page' radio programme on Joy FM, Mrs. Limann said her husband's Mercedes Benz car was not a gift from Rawlings but was rather bought for the couple by the late Limann's brother in Switzerland some twenty years ago. She admitted that although renovation work had been done on the Limann house, she said the standard of the moderations did not meet the couple's expectations.

Mrs. Limann went on to say that her husband had written to thank the government even though he was not satisfied. She then revealed that the government had granted her a sum of ?40 million after the death of Dr. Limann, but had failed to deliver on a promise of regular maintenance payments thereafter. She also expressed her dissatisfaction with former President Jerry Rawlings' treatment of her husband.

"I would have liked my husband to have been taken care of better than he was, because I know he served this country when he was a civil servant and when he was president he really worked hard," she said. Later on the show, former Chief of Staff Nana Ato Dadzie responded by saying that efforts had been made to settle the spouse of the former President.

Also speaking on the programme, Professor Fred Sai, Chairman of the Transitional Team, contributed to the ongoing saga of the sale of ministerial vehicles. He claimed a letter sent by Nana Ato Dadzie to ex-ministers stating that the joint transitional team had decided to let them have the cars, was a mistake, and had given rise to confusion over the price setting. According to Prof. Sai, the letter said ministers should go to the government valuer, pay the money and affect the transfer.

Prof Sai said the prices set by the valuer were never reported back to the joint transitional team and that the whole process was completed with undue haste in the two days before January 7. He said that as the transitional team had established the process and principle, there was no need to rush it, and that the prices should have been discussed.

"The whole of the transitional team did not agree on the prices and all that this has managed to do is severely embarrass the NPP team and make it look as though we were party to setting these extraordinary concessionary terms and prices, which we were not," he said. "I see nothing wrong with going back and saying this is a government valuation and this is what we are going to stick with. I don't see that there is a lot to discuss further about the setting of prices.

"Within the government valuation there is a sufficient built-in concession because I don't believe that the government valuation prices of the cars are actually as much as the stated prices." Prof. Sai seemed anxious to put the matter behind him. "So let's use these prices and put an end to this matter," he said.