NPP Paid C132b Judgment Debt

-On its last day in office

Contrary to the perception by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration made payment of judgment debts its priority, The Al-Hajj can today reveal that the NPP set the pace for that.

In what can be described as the fastest judgment/settlement payment transaction by any government of Ghana in recent history, the NPP government of President John Agyekum Kufuor in a record 8 hours, on its last day in office, swiftly paid out C132 Billion as judgment debt/settlement claims and or compensations.

In one day, on the 6th of January 2009, then exiting President John Kufuor, Chief of Staff, Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani, Attorney General Joe Ghartey and Minister of State at the Finance ministry, Hon. Anthony Akoto Osei, conspired to order the release from the consolidated fund the sum of C132 billion to be paid friends, cronies and party persons as Judgment debt and/or compensation, all in just eight hours.

The 2012 flag bearer of the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo has been accusing the Mills/Mahama NDC administration as having the propensity and indecent haste of honouring the payment of judgment debts, insisting, these would not have passed under his watch.

Nana Akufo-Addo has gone further to cite payments of these judgment debts by the Mills/Mahama administration as corruption, claiming, such monies could have been used to sponsor his much-touted free SHS, which has become his campaign mantra.

However, documents in the possession of this paper shows that the NPP government under President John Kufuor of which Nana Akufo-Addo was a key member, also paid out settlement claims and judgment debts in its eight years in office.

One such document written by the then Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Hon. Joe Ghartey to Hon. Akoto Osei, and thence to the Controller and Accountant General on January 6th 2009, the NPP government’s last day in office reads:

“On the Instructions of His Excellency the president I am directed by the Attorney General to request that you kindly settle on behalf of Government of Ghana the claim of Mr. Daniel Bugri Naabu in respect of Four Hundred and Nine Thousand Eight Hundred and sixteen Cedis Ten Pesewas (GHS409, 816.10) as compensation for the destruction of his property, The Inter Royal Hotel at Tamale”.

Bugri Naabu is a founding member of the NPP in the Northern Region, with two membership numbers, 000211 and 0001291, having defected briefly to join the NDC in 1996 before making a come-back. He is a national executive member of the NPP.

Another letter reads; “On the Instructions of His Excellency the president I am directed by the Attorney General to request that you kindly settle on behalf of Government of Ghana the claim of Carmichael Family in respect of the Aveyime Livestock Project the sum of

a) Two Million Four Hundred Thousand US Dollars (US$2,400,000) as compensation for the confiscation of the property, and

b) US Two Hundred and Forty Thousand Cedis as solicitor’s fees to Mr. Reginald Ackhurst, the solicitor in charge of negotiations for payment of the requisite compensation.

These two letters are part of a number of such in the possession of The Al-Hajj, showing how former president John Agyekum Kufuor and the NPP, on its last day in office hurriedly ordered the doling-out of over C132 Billion to friends, cronies and party persons as judgment/debt and compensations.

The beneficiary list of this mid-night dole-out include: Carl-Micheal family of Aveyime, NDK Financial Services and Mr. Daniel Bugri Naabu. The rest are, Mr. E.K Owusu of Kowus Motors fame, Nii Kojo Danso and Alhaji Yusif Ibrahim, a close friend of Kufuor, whose hotel around the airport roundabout was demolished under the Rawlings regime.

Meanwhile, the NDC government has described as hypocritical comments regarding the payment of judgment debts by the NPP 2012 presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo.

At a news conference on Monday the 16" OF JULY, 2012, Deputy Information Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa exposed details of what he refers to as “shocking judgment debts” hanging around the neck of the country, said to be presided over by Nana Addo, while serving as minister under the erstwhile Kufuor regime.

A letter he produced and signed by the NPP flagbearer when he was serving as Attorney-General and Minister of Justice in the Kufuor administration, recommended the Ministry of Finance to effect payment of about $ 1.1 million to the Great Cape Company of Switzerland.

Dr. Joseph Tony Aidoo, a leading member of the NDC, recently described as evil, persons who unjustifiably accuse others of things that they are neck-deep involved in themselves.