Martin Amidu still on his business of calling for a change in government, has made a shocking revelation on the controversial Ford Gift presented to President Mahama by a Burkinabe contractor…
Former Attorney General and an insider critic of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDC), Martin Amidu has alleged that the controversial Ford Gift presented to President Mahama by a Burkinabe contractor was used to convey illegal money to fund the President’s 2012 campaign.
Also See: Vote for Change Come December! -Martin Amidu
In a long and detailed statement titled, “PLEA TO FELLOW CITIZENS TO USE REPRESENTATIVE ELECTORAL DEMOCRACY TO VOTE FOR A NEW GOVERNMENT OF INTEGRITY ON 7TH DECEMBER 2016”, Martin Amidu gave an account of the main use the Ford gift was put to in 2012 when it was given to Mahama. He sated that his claim is based on a letter from the Ghana Embassy in Burkina Faso to the border authorities at Paga, dated 29th October, 2012.
According to Amidu, the Ford car was only used to smuggle in some money meant for Mahama to use for his 2012 electioneering seeing that he was “unprepared financially” to face the 2012 elections following the sudden death of President John Evans Atta Mills.
Martin Amidu pointed out that the only way the illegal money could be successfully conveyed from Burkina Faso to Ghana was to be “ingenious through the Ford Expedition and a wrapper, wrapping the many dollars needed for the Mahama Campaign. No searches, no questions.” According to Amidu, after the money would have been retried from the Ford Expedition in Accra, the car will then be of no use to the President.
The opposing member of the NDC went on to criticise the Commission on Human rights and Administrative Justice’s (CHRAJ) investigation into the Ford gift saga. According to him, it was “a farce to make the public believe the President has the people’s interests at heart and that his institutions will protect the public purse”. Amidu said that Mahama was grateful to have his own institution (CHRAJ) clear him even when they have no jurisdiction to do so.
An investigation by a Joy News investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni had revealed earlier this year that President Mahama received a 2010 Model Ford Expedition worth a hundred thousand US Dollars ($100,000) from a Burkinabe contractor in 2012. The said three-month investigation revealed the Ford gift was given out by the contractor prior to his being awarded the contract of constructing the Dodo-Pepeso road.
According to findings of the investigation, the Burkinabe contractor had also been contracted to build a wall, at a cost of over half a million dollars, for the Ghana Embassy in Ouagadougou.
Both Djibril Kanazoe and John Mahama admitted giving and receiving the car gift respectively. However, they denied that it has any connection with the awarded contracts as claimed by the accusers.
See How Mahama Trashed the Car Gift Allegations
Following the exposé the President had received massive backlashes from various groups and individuals who accused him of corruption and as well called for his prosecution. The Minority MPs also made serious moves towards the impeachment of the president over the issue.
But it was believed that the matter has been laid to rest following Mahama’s exoneration by CHRAJ before Martin Amidu decided to raise it up again this time.
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