Former President Agyekum Kufuor, is boiling with anger over the findings of the Ghana @50 Commission of Enquiry and the trial of two of his closest allies, Dr. Wereko Brobby and Kwadwo Mpiani.
According to the President, all the government is trying to achieve is to try and get at him by persecuting innocent people .
“They can come for me directly, why should they go around and persecute innocent people just to get at Kufuor. If they think Kufuor stole something or did something against the constitution of Ghana, let them come for Kufuor straightaway and stop persecuting people who only tried to serve their country” He said.
The former President however defended his government against similar claims by dismissing popular concerns that the five year unsuccessful trial of Nana Konadu Rawlings was politically motivated. The trial of Tsatsu Tsikata is another case which was seen as politically motivated.
The former President made these statements in a no hole barred interview “dubbed enough is enough” with veteran journalist, Steve Mallory, of the Africa Watch Magazine in which he launched scathing attacks on the current government, Former President Rawlings, Former First Lady Nana Kondadu Agyeman Rawlings.
Mr. Kufuor, who was in Court yesterday in solidarity with the two who are standing trial on four counts of willfully causing financial loss to the state, said he is not convinced that the two did anything wrong regarding the Ghana @50 Celebrations.
“..I am not convinced that they did anything wrong. Ghana became the toast of the world because of the efficient manner they organized the Ghana@50 celebrations. We all await the prosecutors to tell us exactly what they did wrong” he added.
KUFUOR ON NANA KONADU TRIAL
When the AfricaWatch editor pressed the former President for his comments on the years of failed attempts by his government to prosecute Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings for alleged corruption in the sale of the Nsawam Cannery which is owned by the 31st December Women’s Movement and claims that he was also persecuting the Rawlingses, he said the Kondau trial wasn’t politically motivated.
“The trial (Of Nana Konadu wasn’t) politically motivated. If you look at the transactions that went on, you would see that they were not even completed. The money they should have to the state (By Carridem for the purpose of Nsawam Cannery ) was not paid. It was after I assumed office that obviously they tried to complete the documents which wasn’t right ” Mr. Kufuor said.
The former President continued that “when the issue was brought to her notice, she rather took offence and took the initiative of taking the government to court. It was in reaction to her conduct that we decided to straighten matters with her”
“Our wish” Mr. Kufuor said “was not to bring a person of her stature, into disrepute, but obviously, they thought they were higher than the law, and so she had to be put through due process to let her know that she was as much a citizen as anyone else”
He continued that the trial lasted for five years and that if his government was really bent on being vindictive, they could have made “made a short rift of it” He said, the trial of Konadu was to shock her a bit into doing the right things with decorum.
“She kept on at every turn showing utter disrespect and disdain, so we were forced to act. By the time my term ended, I had taken much of her conduct as against me personally, and I advised the Attorney General to stop the case. I would leave it to posterity to judge whether the acquisition they tried to make was proper” he said.
But the very admission of Mr. Kufuor that his government decision to haul Konadu to court was nothing but a reactionary response to her seeking from the court of law what she saw as unfair treatment from government , is what has gotten observers concluding that indeed her five year trial was nothing but a political ploy to shut her up.
CALF COCOA PROCESSING
The former president touched on the controversial Calf Cocoa Processing company which has generated debate in recent times.
According to former President Kufuor “ I believe her group (the 31st December Movement) tried to get acquire some credit line from China and they had expected my government to just endorse it”.
“When the matter came was brought to my attention, I said they should be treated the same way as everybody would be treated. And I wouldn’t sign anything for them outside the normal routine, that really offended them (the Rawlignses)greatly. So that is part of the reason why they hate me” he observed. At the end, the Calf story ended with a huge cocoa processing factory lying waste throughout the eight year term of the NPP government. The NPP government was sued by the Government was eventually won the case. The NPP government could not pay the money until the NDC government came to power. (coming up)
KOSMOS EO GROUP
The former President also waded into the controversial Kosmos Energy-EO Group case whilst responding to questions regarding investigations by the current government to the conduct of George Owusu, who was his trusted friend, and Dr. Bawuah Edusei, who was also his trusted Ambassador.
Mr. Kufuor, in response said “I don’t know why anybody should consider prosecuting them. A couple of men whose initiative has brought our country such good fortune . did they steal from the government? Or the nation? By their own initiative they brought a company that for the first time ever in our history, found oil in commercial quantities for the nation.
“If we are not thanking them and acknowledging them like we acknowledged Tetteh Quarshie for bringing Cocoa in to the country that became the lifeblood of the economy, why do we prosecute them”
