Tony Lithur controls 3 ministries – Vikileaks

Sketchy details have started emerging about the three government ministries supposedly being ‘controlled’ by Lawyer Tony Lithur who represented President John Dramani Mahama in the landmark 2012 election petition at the Supreme Court.

On the infamous VikiLeaks tape, the sacked Deputy Minister of Communications, Victoria Hamah, was heard saying among other things that “Tony Lithur controls three Ministries.”

Mr Lithur and his wife, Nana Oye Lithur, Minister of Children, Gender and Social Protection are said to be very influential and powerful in the Mahama administration.

This comment by Victoria Hamah has therefore set many, including members of the Mahama-led administration, wondering which of the several government Ministries he could be exercising such level of controls over, as alleged by the embattled former deputy minister.

Days after she was relieved of her appointment for making this and other stunning revelations, DAILY GUIDE has been picking leaks and leads from government circles as to which ministries Mr Lithur has some level of influence on.

The first name that popped-up was that of his wife’s Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

This, according to some political analysts, could be part of the reasons why Victoria Hamah doubted why one of her own colleagues, Rachel Florence Appoh, Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, would think of fighting her boss, Nana Oye, a woman whose husband wields so much influence in the Mahama administration.

Others have also talked of Mr Lithur’s overwhelming influence on the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Department headed by Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong, a senior partner at LithurBrew and Co, a flourishing law firm in Accra.

Until her appointment as Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Appiah Opong was working with Mr Lithur in the same chambers, thereby giving reason for people to believe Victoria Hamah’s claim that he indeed wields a great deal of influence at the Ministry.

Until her appointment as Attorney General, Mrs Appiah-Opong was not known in political circles.

There was strong speculation that Mr Lithur was going to be appointed the Attorney General until the name of his wife emerged and later his partner at LithurBrew and Co as the Attorney General.

Some have also tried to draw a link between the recent appointment of Mr Lithur as Board Chairman of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) to some level of influence at the Ministry of Transport headed by Dzifa Attivor.

Holding such a key position in the country’s aviation industry, some believe that Mr Lithur could be part of those calling the shots at the Transport Ministry, especially with high profile projects under the aviation sector; while others have talked of his influence on President Mahama’s appointees, some of who are by far his juniors and used to work with him at the famous ‘Law Trust’ chambers located at Adabraka in Accra.

Even though the issue has sparked a raging controversy, giving cause for his wife Nana Oye, who was also mentioned for allegedly meeting the nine-member Supreme Court judges, to deny the allegation, Mr Lithur has kept mum over the issue, thereby giving room for the speculation to fester.

Attempts to speak to Mr Lithur however proved unsuccessful since he did not respond to calls put to his mobile phone.

Victoria Hamah, highlighting the influence of the Lithurs in the Mahama administration, was said to have advised Rachel Appoh to stop fighting a losing battle with her boss Nana Oye.

“That Rachel is not wise. When I told her, she said (inaudible voice). She didn’t even know Oye Lithur was Tony Lithur’s wife. She went somewhere and said, ‘oh this lawyer’ (during the court case); that time they had not started their brawl. ‘This lawyer looks handsome’ and people addressed her that, that (Tony Lithur) is Oye’s husband.

“You want the President to choose you, Rachel Appoh, [who couldn’t even express yourself well during your vetting] over his loyal friend’s wife who is always with them in the house. Oye has access to the house (inaudible voice).You were even stopped when going to the President’s house. Soldiers stopped you outside and called for Madam to decide whether they should let you in,” she stated.