Rawlings to be given permanent accommodation

The Office of the Chief of Staff said on Thursday that President John Kufuor will in due course decide on the permanent accommodation for former President Jerry Rawlings and his family.

The accommodation will not be a gift but a lifetime residence in accordance with the provision of the constitution as elaborated by the Greenstreet Committee, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, said in a statement issued in Accra.

He said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) stands by the principle upon which the joint transition team acted with respect of the former President and outgoing executives.

Accordingly, he said, former President Rawlings is being temporarily accommodated at the state residence hitherto occupied by his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings.

With respect to vehicles purchased by former ministers and political appointees, Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey said, the public should be made aware that the Joint Transitional Team and the government had nothing to do with the valuation process or the deadline set for the completion of the exercise.

"This was a matter in the hands of the former NDC government. The NPP government is advised that the valuations of the official valuer are significantly different from the prices paid by the purchasers."

He said accordingly, President Kufuor has decided that in the public interest, the purchaser should either pay the difference between the prices they paid and the official valuation or return the cars. This exercise is to be completed within seven days from January 24.