Did the President err?

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• Papa 9 years ago

  Because of politics and something small, we don't want the truth. The president erred big time and must pay for this.

  Because of politics and something small, we don't want the truth. The president erred big time and must pay for this.

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• Mike frm Ho. 9 years ago

  All these things are about GREEDINES which is slowly destroying Ghana. The greed to aquire properties all over the place is destroying the country. I personally think that the president should have REJECTED THE CAR.

  All these things are about GREEDINES which is slowly destroying Ghana. The greed to aquire properties all over the place is destroying the country. I personally think that the president should have REJECTED THE CAR.

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• Charles Agbenu 9 years ago

  Yes, yes and yes again. The Presidency is now a monument of embarasment, miseries and recklessness.

  Yes, yes and yes again. The Presidency is now a monument of embarasment, miseries and recklessness.

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• Kwadwo Poku 9 years ago

  Mahama would have faced criminal prosecution in a Western democracy.

  Mahama would have faced criminal prosecution in a Western democracy.

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• nana antwi 9 years ago

  So let's look at the evidence.
  1. Contractor's first bid for a public open tender contract fails. And he expresses disappointment to a friend. Obviously he feels cheated
  2. The friend offers to introduce him to the country ...
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  So let's look at the evidence.
  1. Contractor's first bid for a public open tender contract fails. And he expresses disappointment to a friend. Obviously he feels cheated
  2. The friend offers to introduce him to the country's Vice President. Likely purpose?: in the hope of finding a godfather who will intervene in the procurement process.
  3. The meeting takes place successfully and the Vice President becomes his "friend". Fate shines on the friendship because the Vice President soon becomes the President. Fact: Burkinabe contract now has the ear of Ghana's Executive President
  4. The Great Wall. A contract follows to build a wall, a very special wall for the Ghana Embassy in Ouaga. This time Burkinabe Contractor, now a friend of Mr. President gets a letter from the Embassy inviting him to submit quotations. He quotes $650,000 and gets to build wall around a football sized vacant plot of land owned by the embassy.
  5. Alarm bells ring at the sitting of the Public Accounts Committee in Parliament about the high priced wall. Some members suggest it's corruptly over priced, and ask BoG for further and better particulars. It's not BoG question to answer but the fail to tell PAC. Time lapses and the Foreign Affairs ministry does not volunteer any explanation to PAC
  6. Meanwhile same Burkina Contractor is sole sourced to construct a portion of the Eastern Corridor road (Dode-Papase)., a well funded project for which apparently no Ghanaian or African contract qualifies except the President's Burkinabe Contractor friend (who had been introduced for the first time after the cobtract lost a bid). Presumably had he not lost that bid he would have no need of the President's friendship.
  7. The President goes to commission the road and praises and names the Burkinabe contractor for the exemplary quality of the road, and calls on Ghanaian contractors to come and see and emulate the quality of work.
  8. A journalist investigates and discovers that back when the President assumed office back in 2012 he received a Ford Explorer as a gift from the Burkinabe1k contractor, some time before the sole sourced road contract was awarded. Since then the contractor is bring considered for another restricted sole sourced contract (3 in a row).
  WHAT DO WE SUSPECT
  We highly suspect that both the friendship and gift uncovered, and perhaps other inducements has guaranteed a place for Burkinabe contractor in restricted procurement in preference to open tenders. But we don't have the evidence and until proven our suspicions remain unconfirmed.
  WHAT DO WE KNOW
  We know that at the time of receiving the gift it was a person gift from Burkinabe contract to President Mahama as a "person" and with capacity to influence future contracts.
  We also know the the situation of bids has materially changed. Burkinabe contractor now benefits from restricted tenders (non-competitive works procurement offers from the Government of Ghana.)
  UNDISPUTED FACTS
  President Mahama placed himself in a conflict of interest situation when he opened himself to friendship with a contractor who had lost a public procurement bid, and wanted to befriend the Vice President for no other reason imaginable but to improve his chances of winning contracts since he does not trust the open competitive public procurement processes.
  The President further deepened this risk by sending an official delegation to the man's parents funeral and by making a private donation (which the man now claims his car gift reciprocates)
  The President sealed the conflict of interest situation by showing publicly a bias in favour of a contractor (from whom he had already received a personal gift) excessively praising him, and recommending that other contractors go and see the quality of work to learn from it, a judgement that should have been left to the road engineers to make. This was tantamount to a public Presidential seal of approval for sole sourcing and differential pricing.
  CONCLUSION: As the President suggested in his BBC interview one should not put himself in a conflict of interest position that lends itself to receiving gifts and bribes. This is exactly what his own Code of Conduct for public officials clear spells out. So we can conclude that the President acted unconcioable by accepting a gift from someone who was trying to get a contract from a Ministry supervised by his appointees. The President must have know that influence peddling was the only reason for the vista and introduction to the Burkinabe. He should have known that the vehicle was in furtherance of this influence. He should have known the seeing the Burkinabe who lost a previous bid's friendship to the President (delegation to funeral) Ministers would facilitate speedy award of contracts the Burkinabe was interested in. They would have assumed that financial engineering was occurring at the Presidential level. They would have also assumed the effectivrness of their sole sourcing adventures where pleasing and reaching their boss.
  GUILTY AS CHARGED ON THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST DIMENSION BUT ON BRIBERY ONLY TIME WILL TELL

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• SARPONG 9 years ago

  Nana Antwi, your comment should be submitted as an article for those who can't see trees from the forest.

  Nana Antwi, your comment should be submitted as an article for those who can't see trees from the forest.

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• Pressman 9 years ago

  This Mahama would have been forced out of office if what he did had happened in the West, but we talking of Africa and for that matter , Ghana where anything goes, and that rule of law is made for 'orders' that is the bane of ...
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  This Mahama would have been forced out of office if what he did had happened in the West, but we talking of Africa and for that matter , Ghana where anything goes, and that rule of law is made for 'orders' that is the bane of Africa, and the so-called third world in general.

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• Asuo 9 years ago

  What is your direct answer to the 3 questions you raised?

  What is your direct answer to the 3 questions you raised?

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• Pelicles 9 years ago

  Mahama told his ministers and all government appointees not to accept any gift of more than 200 cedis. What is the value of the car? Imagine it is 500 cedis so why should be accept it after telling those in his government not ...
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  Mahama told his ministers and all government appointees not to accept any gift of more than 200 cedis. What is the value of the car? Imagine it is 500 cedis so why should be accept it after telling those in his government not to accept any gift value more than 200 cedis? Isn't that hypocrisy? In any advance democracy, Mahama will face the full rigors of the law but not in Ghana where some people are doing all they could to "white wash a dirty wall".
  
  Dilma Rouseff, the former Brazilian president was impeached just for lying about the true state of the deficit.

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• Daavi Ma 9 years ago

  Somebody builds a wall for your embassy. You know this. And yet, when he gives you a car, you don't ask yourself, why is he giving me this car? Des he not know that if people hear of it, they will think I have taken bribe?
  
  ...
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  Somebody builds a wall for your embassy. You know this. And yet, when he gives you a car, you don't ask yourself, why is he giving me this car? Des he not know that if people hear of it, they will think I have taken bribe?
  
  With judgement of this the, how can this Mahama be President of a country of intelligent people like Ghana?
  
  He is using Burkina logic. Let him go and be Burkina President.

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