NPP tagged me corrupt to score political points – Mahama

Former President John Dramani Mahama has said most corruption allegations that were leveled against him during his tenure as president were mostly fabricated by his opposers then, the New Patriotic Party.

According to him, such accusations were only to score political points by the then opposition NPP.

The former president cited an alleged diversion of $100 million World Bank fund as one of the fabricated allegations which the now ruling NPP hung around his neck while he served as president.

“Some of the corruption allegations against my administration were throw-factory with some saying I had hotels in Dubai, some also claiming I had ships at the Tokyo Habour and myself and Lordina diverting $100 million World Bank money into our Swiss bank account and all,” John Mahama said during an interview on GHOne TV.

John Mahama further explained that, during that period he did not feel the need to respond to everyone of them because “at the time, we felt that Ghanaians should see through it and there was really no truth in it.”

“So, there are sometimes that perception of corruption created deliberately for political advantage and I suffered a lot from what the NPP did, and we didn’t respond appropriately,” he added.

The former president who is seeking a second term bid after losing the 2016 general elections said even though the ruling NPP managed to succeed in their bid to tag him corrupt, his worst score on the Transparent Index is better than his main opponent, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

“Let’s use the most scientific means of measuring corruption which is the transparency index. My worse score is better than Akufo-Addo’s best score. That is the most scientific basis. Otherwise, then, it is hearsay.”

He further berated the media for assuming a nonchalant posture in discussing issues of corruption leveled against the Akufo-Addo-led government over the past years

“The media has given him (Akufo-Addo) free ticket on corruption. I think Ghanaians are now used to corruption under Akufo-Addo and so nothing is shocking anymore.”

“The easiest way of fighting corruption is by investigating your opponents when you take power which takes no courage to do because they are not members of your party but when you are the president and the people in your party are engaged in corruption and you have the courage to investigate and prosecute them, that is when you are truly fighting the canker,” he noted.