Drug Money To Fuel Akufo-Addo’s Campaign

The latest revelation by Africawatch magazine that one of the key persons among the

‘Kyebi Mafia’ responsible for raising funds

for NPP flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo ahead of 2012 elections is a convicted

money launderer has raised fresh fears among well- meaning Ghanaians that drug

money is what will be fuelling the NPP’s campaign this year.

Nana Poku Ofori-Atta is the latest revelation as yet

another ex-convict in the ‘Kyebi Mafia’, the de facto NPP campaign team made

largely of the flagbearer’s relatives for the 2012 elections.

According to Africawatch, “…Nana Poku served jail time in Germany… for money

laundering”. Money

laundering is the criminal act of turning illegal money into legal one. Most

often, laundered money is from the sale of heroin, cocaine, wee and other

illicit drugs.

Yet, this ex-convict is still “… a close confidant of” of Nana Akufo-Addo and is

even described

as “a very influential member of the

inner circle…”

What is even

more of a worry to many Ghanaians, including some NPP activists, is that Nana

Poku is one of the people in the inner circle tasked to raise funds for the

2012 elections.

“Where will he raise money from? How are we going to

be sure it is not drug money he has raised for the campaign? The fact that he

has served his term does not necessarily mean that he may not do it again. Look

at Raymond Amankwah. After completing his jail term in Germany for drug

trafficking, he came out only to go back to drug trafficking culminating in his

arrest in Brazil for trafficking heroine into that country. He was subsequently

tried, found guilty and jailed. So, where is the guarantee that drug money or

laundered money will not find its way into Nana Akufo-Addo’s team” an NPP

official who pleaded anonymity said in an interview with this paper.

Nana Poku, is also reported by Africawatch to have managed about $47 million of Nana

Akufo-Addo’s

campaign funds together with Ken Ofori-Atta, Keli Gadzekpo and Edward ‘Bumpty’

Akufo-Addo from the head office of Databank Financial Services Ltd. in Accra

during the 2008 elections.

Many wonder how much of that staggering amount Nana

Poku contributed to the Akufo-Addo campaign and the sources of the money. It

also raises questions about how clean money from Databank Financial Services is.

With Nana Akufo-Addo himself not far from drugs, his

brother-in-law, Raymond Amankwa a convicted drug trafficker on two occasions,

his cousin, Amfo Kwakye also a convicted drug trafficker, ex-money launderer,

Nana Poku’s presence in his fund-raising team raises eye-brows and fuels

speculations that drug money may be part of Akufo-Addo’s ‘all die be die’

financial war chest!

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Anon