President Mahama is not being investigated - World Bank

“World Bank is not investigating the President of Ghana. Media reports claiming that the World Bank is investigating the President of the Republic of Ghana and his wife are false.” That’s according to the World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Yusupha Crookes.

This was in connection with media reports that the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are upset about reports that President Mahama and wife have stashed $170 million away in a Swiss Bank.

A media organisation referred to as the Associated Press News (APN) reported in October that “a Transparency International Special Investigation report has indicted the Presidents of Zimbabwe, Congo DR and Ghana for stashing huge amounts of monies into foreign bank accounts in Switzerland and Luxembourg.”

The stories were subsequently replicated in some newspapers and websites in the country.

The story said: “In the case of Ghana, the World Bank and IMF is currently investigating the current President of Ghana, President John Dramani Mahama and his wife Mrs Lordina Mahama for the embezzlement of 170 million dollars of loans and grants given to Ghana since 2010 and the deposit of these monies in bank accounts in Switzerland.”

They stated that the World Bank officials working with IMF investigators started noticing huge discrepancies and gaps in Ghana’s loan payments and realised that there were irregular payments between March 2010 and June 2012 and that some payments were missing, after a forensic audit, 170 million dollars were traced to a Private Bank in Zurich, Switzerland called DZ Privatbank.

But an official Facebook comment seen by RadioXYZonline.com from the Head of Communications at the World Bank Ghana office, Mr. Kofi Tsikata, on Tuesday said: “Please Note: World Bank is Not Investigating the President of Ghana. Media reports claiming that the World Bank is investigating the President of the Republic of Ghana and his wife are false.”

The post further indicated that “In addition, the World Bank has no knowledge of other claims made in these media reports. Signed: Yusupha Crookes. World Bank Country Director for Ghana.”