Quality Grain: Is Rawlings The Real Culprit?

The Presiding Judge in the Quality Grain case, on Monday told the court that the three convicted former government officials, especially Kwame Peprah and Dr Sipa-Yankey were going to jail because they failed to tell the court that they were basically following instructions from their former boss, ex-President Rawlings.

Referring to the phrase ''Monkey dey work, baboon dey chop'', Justice Afreh said Mrs Cotton exploited her relationship with government officials to milk this poor country ''I believe if she was anybody else, she would have been rebuffed''. But it appears ''someone up there liked her''.

Justice Afreh said the accused persons had the opportunity to tell the court where the orders came from but decided ''to keep the former President out of the case''.

The judge thought it strange, the special treatment granted to Mrs Cotton. He said in 1995-1996 when she came to Ghana; she was 33 and unmarried. ''She brought no money until she hit the jackpot. Within one year, she was a multi-millionaire''.

Rawlings had taken her to view the Aveyime site for the rice production in an aircraft. Despite her inability to account for the first loan of $7 million, which was guaranteed by Parliament, the Finance Minister went ahead to guarantee an additional loan of $12 million without reference to Parliament, but with a decision which according to the judge, might have come from the President alone.

Justice Afreh expressed apparent surprise at the conduct of the defence team, as none referred to the apparent invisible hand of the former President guiding this satisfaction of Mrs Cotton’s demands.

There was no evidence that any of the accused persons gained personally from the loans. Mrs Cotton on the other hand paid herself $2 million salary, bought a $1 million house, two Mercedes Benz and paid her husband $200,000 as Executive Secretary. She is currently serving a jail term in the United States after being dragged to court by her partners in connection with the same project.