I was not sacked from Ghana Maritime - Kwame Owusu

Former Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Kwame Owusu, has said he was never sacked from the Authority as speculated by the media.

According to him, he resigned as the Director-General to take up his new role as chairperson of the Ghana Revenue Authority after he was reassigned by the president.

Mr Kwame Owusu reiterated that there was no way he would have been reassigned after his Ghana Maritime Authority air condition saga, if he was a culprit.

Speaking to Joynews in an interview, Kwame Owusu said “I was not sacked from Ghana Maritime Authority. If people are sacked for what they have done wrong, if the president is very principled he will come and say the person should be persecuted. He (Akufo-Addo) gave me a further appointment, how can I be sacked? In the midst of the talk and the man will just appoint me again it is not by default. The president knows who I am and knows my capabilities. If he wanted me to resign he won’t do the immediate appointment.”

“I never stepped my foot to GRA, because of the noise you people (the media) started making. I was asked by the president to leave Ghana Maritime Authority, so I tended my resignation. This was for me to chair the GRA.”

Sometime in August 2019, Kwame Owusu was widely bashed for installing 13 air conditioners at his official residence during his tenure.

The old two-bedroom official residence was renovated and expanded into a four-bedroom house fitted all at the cost of GH¢1million.

However, in reacting to the news, Kwame Owusu revealed that he used his own money to buy two of the 13 air-conditioners that were fixed at his official residence during his tenure.

He said the total cost of the building, was “GH¢998, 000, about USD200, 000” and not GH¢1 million.

However, few months after this brouhaha, Kwame Owusu was reappointed by President AKufo-Addo to Chair Ghana Revenue Authority, but he rejected the offers, adding, that the media started making noise about it while President of IMANI Ghana also bashed him.

It was for the reason he wrote back to the president, rejecting the offer.