Dubai dirty money exposé: 'We stand by our reporting' - OCCRP Africa editor speaks

Africa Editor of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which recently published a report on alleged dirty money in Dubai, says they stand by their report despite pushback by some of the listed property owners.

Beauregard Tromp, told Accra-based Asaase FM (June 28, 2024) that his outfit retained full documentation on their reports stressing that they went through a rigorous process before putting the report out.

“The people that we mentioned and the properties that we tied to them specifically are all based on documentation. It’s not somebody whispering in my ears,” said Tromp.

“This is the property registry in Dubai which then shows the individuals and their personal details, including their passport numbers, which then links them to their date of birth … one thing that we are very particular about is the verification process.”

Tromp added, “We take a very conservative view in terms of what we publish because we want the information that we put out there actionable and wholly verifiable. We are absolutely certain and stand behind our reporting.”

Four Ghanaians named in report

Inusah Fuseini was named among politicians from across the world who own properties in Dubai, including the former Nigerian presidential candidate, Abubakar Atiku.

A profile of the former minister, which had his picture and bore the name "Inusah Abdulai Bistav Fuseini," reads as follows: "Former member of Ghana's parliament who has also held several ministerial roles, including Minister of Roads and Minister for Land and Natural Resources."

A map attached to the profile linked the minister to six properties in Dubai.

Three other Ghanaians were named in the report, including Anthony Alfred Benin, a former judge on the Supreme Court of Ghana and the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) Court of Justice, who had one property in Dubai linked to him.

Joseph Kwaku Asamoah, a former finance director of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, also confirmed to OCCRP that he was registered as the co-owner of two Dubai properties.

Asamoah, however, indicated that "he had not paid for them and that they were acquired by another person."

Moses Aduko Asaga, a former member of Ghana’s parliament and former chief executive of the National Petroleum Authority of Ghana, was also captured in the report with one Dubai property being linked to him.

SARA