Impeach President John Dramani Mahama Now

The Ghanaian Ace Investigative Journalist, Arew Aremayew caught Armajaro Holdings hired trucks smuggling Ghana cocoa to Ivory Coast on June, 2010 thereby denying the country the scarce foreign currency the government needs to undertake infrastructure projects. Armajaro Holdings is one of the world’s largest cocoa commodity traders owned by Anothony Ward, chief executive of Armajaro Holdings and British Conservative party donor. After Armajaro was implicated in the smuggling ring, Ghana Cocoa marketing Board placed an injunction on this company from doing Business in Ghana but through geopolitical maneuverings between the then Vice President Mahama who was virtually running the country because of President Mills health, the ban placed on this company not to do business in Ghana was lifted and this is how it happened.

"Anthony Ward, chief executive of Armajaro Holdings and a Conservative party donor, writes to Andrew Mitchell, international development secretary, asking for help to overturn the ban.

His leaked letter reads

"We would like to ask you to intervene on our behalf at presidential level to request the ban lifted’"

Mitchell phones Nicholas Westcott, the High Commissioner in Ghana then for briefing on Armajaro case, this was on July 6 and on July 7th after a series of contacts through fax, emails and telephone calls between a cast of characters, the Vice President who was then in London on an official visit meet Henry Bellingham, the Foreign Office minister, who dines with John Dramani Mahama and lobbies him on Armajaro’s behalf.

"Leaked Foreign Office memo reads, ‘The (vice president) has undertaken to look into it immediately on his return’"

On July 14th after the dinner in London between John Dramani Mahama and Bellingham,the foreign office sent a memo to Armajaro on what it has done on its behalf.This eventually led to the striking of the deal since the British High Commissioner sent a mail to the Department for International Development (DFID) somewhere in August 2010, disclosing that the Ghana Cocoa Board had drawn up a draft decision to allow Armajaro to resume trading, adding, "I hope this will sort the matter."  On September 28th, 2010 the ban placed on Armajaro was lifted and they resumed doing business in Ghana except in one district.

A pressure group, Alliance for Responsible Office Holders (AFROH) says the then Vice President Mahama in one way or the other, used his position and influence to help in lifting the ban placed on the company from purchasing cocoa in Ghana.The leader of the group, Haruna Mahama at that time called for Vice President Mahama's resignation but the Cocobod came to his rescue by covering up the role played by President Dramani Mahamah's involvement. The group then asked CHRAG to investigate the Vice President to ascertain how much he was paid to lobby for the ban placed on Armajaro to be lifted.

This is a serious case that needs further investigation to unravel what role Mahama played in getting Armajaro to continue doing business in Ghana. I don't think a Ghanaian business if caught smuggling British oil to France can be allowed to do business in that country. As a matter of fact, some management of such a company might be languishing in Britain prisons as I write so why did Armajaro get off with a slap on the wrist?

President Mahama should be called by a Parliamentary body and questioned about his role in the Armajaro sordid undertaking and an article of impeachment established to impeach him. Ghana cannot close its eyes to some of the deals President Mahama has been involved in. Most of the contracts he has signed on behalf of Ghana have been fraught with mistakes due to fraudulent clauses and Ghanaians should know this man before they cast their votes for him.

Justice Sarpong

Houston, Texas

(CARDINAL of TRUTH)