Why Prof. Atta Mills refused to jail some corrupt officials of Kufuor’s administration - Spio-Gabrah reveals

A former Communications Minister, Dr. Ekwow Spio-Gabrah, has disclosed that the late former president, Prof John Evans Atta Mills, refused to jail some corrupt officials of the Kufuor-led administration when he assumed office in 2009.

According to Dr. Spio-Gabrah, the National Democratic Congress was ready to prosecute the over 100 corruption cases at the time, but the Mills-led administration chose not to proceed with the cases because he wanted to encourage a new way of thinking emphasising forgiveness and avoiding recriminations.

Speaking in a recent interview on TV3, he cited a book authored by local government expert and leading member of the NDC, Kwamena Ahwoi which revealed that when Prof. Mills was informed about the development, he kicked against it because he wanted to be a father figure for all Ghanaians.

"You are in the media. There are over 100 corruption scandals. Unfortunately, there were a similar 100 cases when Kufuor left office, and as our colleague, Hon. Kwamena Ahwoi, wrote in a book, the NDC at the time, under Professor Mills, was ready to prosecute these over 100 cases.

“President Rawlings then accepted it and said yes, this is a very good idea. Go ahead and prosecute, but according to the book, some of them went to Prof. Mills just to inform him that is what we are going to do, and President Mills said no, I am father for all. He wanted to encourage a new thinking in Ghana, where we can forgive and avoid recriminations,” he added.

He explained that the good intentions of Prof. Mills had been largely maligned and undermined by the activities of the New Patriotic Party.

“What Prof. Mills was hoping to do was that if all the sins of the NPP had been forgiven, then hopefully the sins would not occur again. But this is even worse because Prof. Mills forgave them. NPP wants to think that they did not do everything wrong.

"That is what they say when they go on platforms that the NDC has no evidence against them from Kufuor’s time because they were all innocent. They have never committed any offence so that is why they have been encouraged to dip their hands and fingers into every pie that moves, putting us all in complete bankruptcy," he explained.

JKB/ ADG

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