This world isn’t fair, my brethren: Is Ex-President Mahama trying to exonerate himself?

I felt numb momentarily upon listening to former President Mahama’s ‘preaching’ on corruption, ostensibly directed towards the Akufo-Addo’s government.

Former President Mahama is reported to have pontificated somewhat bizarrely that President Akufo-Addo only preaches the fight against the canker of corruption and does not have the will and commitment to investigate and prosecute his alleged corrupt appointees.

Well, what can I say? I am really struggling to find any euphemistic words that will depict my irreversible puzzlement. I am indeed dumbfounded. Wonders shall never end, they say.

In fact, anyone who has a passing acquaintance of the revoltingly ugly events which took place during the erstwhile NDC administration will be extremely surprised to hear that former President Mahama is evocatively accusing his successor of not doing enough to combat corruption.

Dearest reader, take my word for it, I am not seeking to pass judgment, but for the sake of balanced annotation and to set the records straight, I shall grub into the regrettable events which took place during former President Mahama’s maladaptive administration.

In recent times, Ex-President John Dramani Mahama has been daring President Akufo-Addo to arrest, investigate and prosecute him or any member of his administration if there is unobjectionable evidence to suggest that they amassed wealth illegally during their time in office (See: Catch the ‘supposed’ thieves to prove your charges – Mahama dares Akufo-Addo; ghanaweb.com, 30/04/2018).

So, it came as a surprise to some of us when we read that four valiant Ghanaians had petitioned the Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu to probe into the alleged E.O. Group’s $13 million corporate social responsibility fund towards the development of the Western Region which the petitioners claimed to have been diverted by Ex-President Mahama (See: ‘Mahama diverted $13m E.O. Group money; probe him – Four citizens petition Amidu’-todaygh.com/ghanaweb.com, 18/06/2018).

What is more, we woke up a few months ago to be greeted by yet another news of corruption scandal in the erstwhile NDC administration, this time, alleged oil money of GH40.5 million surreptitious transfers to the presidency, via the then Chief of Staff (See: ‘Group explains why Amidu must probe Mahama, Debrah in GH¢40.5m BOST payment’; myjoyonline.com/ghanaweb.com, 19/09/2018).

In fact, I have always maintained that a fantastically corrupt public servant is no less a human rights abuser than the weirdo Adolf Hitler.

This is because while the enigmatic Adolf Hitler went into a conniption-fit and barbarically exterminated innocent people with lethal chemicals and sophisticated weapons, a contemporary corrupt public servant is blissfully bent on suffocating innocent citizens through wanton bribery and corruption.

Consequently, the innocent citizens would often end up facing untold economic hardships, starvation, depression, emotional labour and squalor which send them to their early graves.

Not long ago, Ex-President Mahama was reported to have lamented inexorably: “Instead of focusing on the job to make Ghana a better place, every day they complain that an amount of money has gone missing. If money has been lost, conduct the investigation and arrest the perpetrators. Who has the power?”

But contrary to former President Mahama’s incessant denials of rampant corruption in his government, more recently, a competent court of jurisdiction convicted two of the numerous corruption suspects in the erstwhile NDC administration and sentenced them to six and twelve years respectively.

Apparently, some concerned Ghanaians maintain that the sins of the two convicts are meagre in comparison with the other scandalous corruption cases which took place in the erstwhile Mahama administration.

That notwithstanding, the unhappy former President Mahama lamented: “This trial by newspaper affects the credibility of the government. If you hear that several sums of money have gone missing yet no one has been arrested for prosecution, then you are destroying the confidence of people in the credibility of the government. So the trial by media must stop (ghanaweb.com).”

Perhaps someone ought to inform Ex-president Mahama that the current Attorney General is seriously working towards bringing the suspects to book. Take, for example, on 14th March 2018, the State filed a case of causing financial loss against the former Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD and the CEO of Zeera Group of Companies and Agricult Ghana Limited, who have been accused of embezzling over GH260 million under the watch of former President Mahama.

Besides, the alleged SSNIT $72 million corruption scandal will most likely end up in the law court. And, the NCA corruption scandal is pending in the law court.

Apparently, credible sources have confided in some of us that investigations are progressing steadily in a number of bribery and corruption cases which took place in the outgone Mahama’s administration.

There is also a possibility of the double salary NDC Members of Parliament having their day in the law courts.

We should, also, take solace in the fact that President Akufo-Addo has shown seriousness and commitment by establishing the Office of the Special Prosecutor with the responsibility of investigating, prosecuting and retrieving stolen monies from the corrupt public officials, including alleged corrupt appointees of Mahama’s administration.

How sweet would it be if the Special Prosecutor managed to roundup the conspiratorial plotters in the Woyome’s dubious judgement debt payment for instance?

And more so it would be a great news if the Special Prosecutor managed to claw-back all the embezzled monies in the scandalous corruption cases involving the infamous Bus Branding, the SSNIT, the Brazil World Cup, GYEEDA, AZONTABA, SADA, SUBAH, the purported $300million debt incurred on the faded STS housing deal, the dubious Embraer 190 Aircrafts and hanger for the Ghana Armed Forces and over a US$100 million oil revenue loss between 2011 and 2013 as reported by the Public Interest& Accountability Committee.

Isn’t it somewhat refreshing that the justice system is going to descend heavily not only on the goat, cassava and plantain thieves, but as well as the hard criminals who hide behind narrow political colorations?

K. Badu, UK.

k.badu2011@gmail.com