Anas lied over $65,000 bribe - Kwesi Nyantakyi

Embattled Former Ghana Football Association President Kwesi Nyantakyi says it is completely false the cash gift he allegedly accepted in the controversial documentary by Anas Aremeyaw Anas was $65,000.

Mr Nyantakyi is said to have collected the said amount from an undercover Tiger Eye PI reporter pretending to be a businessman.

But in a statement by Mr Nyantakyi, he explains he accepted $40,000 which was to carter for his travel expenses.

4.THE ALLEGED PAYMENT OF $65,000.

From voice-over commentaries on the video, I was reported to have accepted

$65,000 in banknotes in October 2017 from a man claiming to be a member of the Qatari Royal Family (the Sheikh) who told me “that the money was for shopping” and that I then thanked the said man, “placed the banknotes into a black plastic bag” but “failed to report this large gift to the GFA” I vehemently deny the same, and wish to state that;

i. it is completely false that I received $65,000 from a person claiming to be a member of the Qatari Royal Family.

ii. It is also completely false that at the time the money was handed to me, I was informed: “that the money was for shopping”.

iii In the context of (ii) above, it is therefore false that I was handed a “large gift”.

I have already dealt with the circumstances under which I received the money from the Sheikh. Of key significance, however, is the allegation that I received the sum of $65,000.

Travel expenses for the three (3) trips came up to $61,000.00 the breakdown of which is as follows:

I. Cost of air ticket for two (2) trips, board and lodging -$10,000.00

II. Cost of first-class air tickets for three others -$26,000.00

III. Cost of board and lodging for the three others at Burj Arab Hotel Dubai for five days -$25,000.00

Total cost= $61,000.00

I was handed the sum of $40.000 only in eight (8) bundles of US$ 50 banknotes but not $65,000 which both I and the Sheikh’s agent understood to be reimbursement for the travel costs incurred by me, at the Sheikh’s request. It is very easy to confirm how much was given to me from the videotapes. The money was exposed before I was tricked to put in the bag personally.

A critical review of the video clip will reveal that when the money was handed to me, there was no mention of shopping. A different video has a voice emerging from a faceless speaker saying “shopping for now”. This insertion of an overriding voice was clearly an afterthought.

Based on the agreement with Suale, the $40,000 was a refund and not a gift or bribe. It's disingenuous to purport to donate a gift when the donor owes a lawful debt for the cost of travels.

The question that beats my mind is why Tiger Eye lied about the amount of money given to me. Why was the viewing public not allowed to perceive what they saw and heard on the video themselves? Why run commentaries to deceive the viewing public?