Broadcaster Paul Adom-Otchere has refuted an allegation by the main character in an Al Jazeera documentary; a gold Canadian gold dealer; Alistair Mathias, who said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was his lawyer.
According to him, the facts on the ground do not support the allegation made by Mathias Alistair since he started his business in Ghana in 2010 by which time Akufo-Addo had stopped practicing as a lawyer for nearly 10 years because he stopped practicing in 2000.
Speaking during an editorial on his Good Evening Ghana programme on Metro TV on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, Adom-Otchere added that Alistair is believed to be in his early 40s which means that if it is true that Akufo-Addo was his lawyer then he will have been a teenager when he was a client of the president.
“The last time Akufo-Addo was a lawyer for anybody was the year, 2000, it could be 1990 but let’s say it is 2000, that is 23 years ago. Alistair first commenced his gold business in Ghana in 2010… but he said Akufo-Addo was his lawyer 23 years ago.
“… in 2001 Akufo-Addo became attorney general, from there foreign minister, from there opposition leader… He didn’t do law, he didn’t go to court, he never went to his law firm, Akufo-Addo and Prempeh, and the law firm didn’t represent him (Alistair).
“Mr Mathias is believed to be in his late 30s or early 40s… let’s say he is 45 years then it means Akufo-Addo was his lawyer when he was 22 years… if it was earlier, say 5 years earlier, say 1995… the guy was 17 years, by that time he (Alistair) might be in the university or something,” he said.
Adom-Otchere also said that either Akufo-Addo or his firm represented Alistair when he was arrested and prosecuted in Ghana some years back.
He added that the Al Jazeera investigative piece is being blown out of proportion because some persons have failed to analyse the allegation made by the gold dealer, just to score political points.
What Alistair Mathias said about Akufo-Addo:
Alistair Mathias, who reportedly smuggles $40 million worth of gold from Ghana every month, disclosed the kind of close relationship he has with Ghana’s president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Alistair Mathias, who was described as a gold trader with expertise in designing money laundering schemes for Africans, said that his work has given him access to every president or head of state on the continent.
Speaking in the final episode of the undercover investigations of gold smuggling in Africa by the Investigative Unit of Al Jazeera, Alistair Mathis, who is one of the main characters in the video, boasted about his relationship with the Ghanaian president.
He (described as a financial architect) told the undercover reporters, who had posed as Chinese criminals seeking to launder dirty money from Africa, that his relationship with Akufo-Addo is a close one.
He also claims that the Ghanaian president is his lawyer.
“There’s no head of state or president that either of us can’t get to on this continent. Next door in Swaziland, the king is a close friend of mine. Zambia’s president is a close friend of my friend. DRC Congo, the president has invited me several times to come and build a refinery.
“Ghana’s president is a good friend of mine. In fact, he was my lawyer. Cyril Ramaphosa here; I know him. I know his kids,” he bragged.
Watch Adom-Otchere's remarks in the video:
Meanwhile, watch the latest SayItLoud episode on GhanaWeb TV below:
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