Akuffo sent to country without diplomatic office

The New National Democrat’s intelligence has stumbled on information which points to the fact that Ms Gloria Akuffo will not enjoy her Ambassadorial post before the expiry of the tenure of office of all political diplomatic staff this year.

Our sources revealed that Ghana has no Diplomatic Office in the Republic of Ireland. Her posting to that European country is therefore seen as a deliberate ploy to punish her.

Castle sources hinted that it would take at least five months to put in place anything resembling a Diplomatic Office with the necessary logistics. In this case, if Gloria Akuffo is to enjoy her status, she might only have a two-month stint. For a Minister of State to be reshuffled and send to an Ambassadorial posting where there is no structure in place to house her and the diplomatic staff is deeply revealing.

Auntie Gloria has been removed from her Aviation portfolio because she stepped on a very big toe in the Castle.

According to New National Democrat sources at the Castle, she was said to have pried into certain transactions carried out in the Aviation industry. One of the institutions into which she pried was the Ghana Airways Catering Services.

The Airways Catering has been privatized, sold to one Boadi.

According to our intelligence, Auntie Gloria made concerted efforts to restore Airways Catering back to the State. Her commitment to see this national asset revert to the State set her on a collision course with the powers-that-be at the Castle.

Auntie Gloria, we are told, displayed so much courage in her fight to right this wrong to the extent that she wrote reports to the President on the illegal acquisition.

The New National Democrat can also confirm that not a dime has so far been paid for the take-over of the lucrative former Ghana Airways Catering outfit.

In Gloria's search for the truth about how Airways Catering got into the hands of Boadi, the former Minister discovered to her chagrin that the new owner did not put down a penny for the purchase of the company.

Our own investigations, point to one of the pillars behind the throne at the Castle as the one who had appropriated our national asset. He is said to be using Boadi as a proxy. A Committee set up by the Aviation Ministry threw up startling revelations. Boadi has no capital to run Airways Catering. The top aide in the Castle reportedly refused to allow Gloria the free hand to do her work at the Ministry. Key decisions in respect of the Aviation industry are still being handled at the Castle.

With Gloria out of the way, the intelligence source at the Castle has expressed the fear that more State resources could be looted and diverted by private interests. The sources further signalled that the whole Aviation industry stinks. They referred to the dubious clouds under which Ghana International Airlines was brought on stream with accusing fingers pointing in the direction of the Chief of Staff as having something to do with its secret ownership.

Boadi, ought to be subjected to the test. The investigations carried out by the Committee, which looked into the Ghana Airways Catering just fell short of stating that its privatization amounted to forceful seizure of State asset. Furthermore, the staff at the Airways Catering has been replaced with close relations and political friends of the powerhouses at the Castle.

Such is the odyssey of Gloria, for daring to open the Pandora box and getting her bosses at the Castle exposed. For challenging the power of one of the most powerful members of President Kufuor's inner circle, her punishment is to be posted to a non-existent diplomatic mission.

Meanwhile, Castle sources have told our intelligence that the President is not apprised of the full facts of Ghana Airways Catering. If he is made aware of the full disclosure, he is likely to rue the decision to remove Auntie Gloria from the Ministry.

According to the sources, in the heat of the Kwamena Bartels' showdown with the President that fateful Saturday May 24, 2008, he was in a hurry to effect changes before leaving town. In this hasty process to undertake a mini-reshuffle, the advisers had a field day. Auntie Gloria had been a long time target of the dubious hawks at the Castle and she was offered to the wolves to devour.

Stay tuned!