CHRAG & CO must probe controversial Ford Expedition gift to President Mahama-GII

The Ghana Integrity Initiative(GII) has challenged investigative bodies in the country to probe into the controversial "Ford Expedition" gift to President John Dramani Mahama. Executive Director of the anti-graft body Mrs Linda Ofori Kwafo, who threw the challenge on Oman FM's National Agenda, said there was the need for proper investigations to be conducted into the issue to establish whether the car was given to bribe President Mahama or not. According to her, bribery constitutes a serious crime stressing that it is an offence that attracts sanctions. She added that the case involves no other person than the first gentleman and "so we cannot just jump into conclusion that the act is bribery since Ghana is practising rule of law." "We have to follow due processes in order to punish", she advised. President John Dramani Mahama has come under public criticism following investigations by Manasseh Awuni Azure of Accra based Joy FM revealing how President Mahama accepted a Ford Expedition worth $100,000 from a renowned Burkinabe contractor who is executing government of Ghana contracts as a gift. Mr. Djibril Kanazoe according to investigations Manasseh Azure was given a series of contracts by the Government of Ghana, including a $650,000 deal to fence a tract of land around Ghana’s mission in Burkina Faso, after he had parted with a Ford Expedition to Ghana’s President. Some members of the public and Members of Parliament on the Minority side have suggested that President Mahama should be impeached. But Mrs Linda Ofori Kwafo disagrees. "We cannot use the face value of Manasseh's story to conclude that what President Mahama did amounts to conflict of interest or corruption. We have to establish the facts before we can proceed," she stated. Touching on a statement signed by the Minister of Communications, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, which indicated that “the said vehicle was placed in the vehicle pool at the presidency as per established convention, and had nothing to do with the award of the contracts,” Mrs. Ofori Kwafo, said it was not enough for government through its agents to say that the vehicle was added to vehicle pool at the presidency, arguing that there may be something more to it and therefore needed to be probed further. "If they say it was added to the pool of government vehicles, how was it declared? Was it transparent? We need to know," she emphasized. Minority Leader Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu who expressed serious concerns about the conduct of President John Dramani Mahama backed the call by GII that the issue is investigated to establish whether the Ford Expedition was a bribe offered to the President. Story By: Michael Creg Afful

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