Claims by Fifi Kwetey, the Minister of Transport that drug money that flowed freely in Ghana masked an extremely ailing economy under former President John Kufuor, are “baseless”, “useless”, and “unfounded”, Minority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has said.
Speaking during the NDC’s ‘Setting the Records Straight’ forum in Accra on Thursday September 22, Mr Kwetey said: “Growth expectations are high, currency stability has returned, inflation looks set to trend downwards to sustainable basis, fiscal deficit is increasingly more under control, domestic and foreign investor confidence is increasing more and more and our latest information is actually showing that even the credit rating agencies are about to do a positive revision of Ghana’s rating again because the future absolutely is looking very bright under the very competent leadership of John Mahama.”
Comparing that with the term of the NPP with Mr Kufuor as President, Mr Kwetey said in 2008 when the NPP was finishing its term, it had “lost control of the cedi, inflation had reached 18%, gross reserves barely enough to cover two months of imports, Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) and Ghana Commercial Bank were on their knees, nonperforming loans in the banking sector were at an all-time high,” with a budget deficit of 15% and a budget overrun of 11% and a “massive” arrears of over GHS4 billion altogether painted the picture of an economy that was gravely ill, yet this was an economy where cocaine cash was flowing very freely”.
But reacting to these comments in an interview with Chief Jerry Forson, host of Ghana Yensom on Accra100.5FM on Friday September 23, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said: “He (Fiifi Kwetey) is not someone to pay heed to. He was the same person who accused President Kufuor of stealing Ghana’s gold bars at the Bank of Ghana but when he was asked to produce the evidence during his vetting as Deputy Minister after the 2008 elections, he told the Appointments Committee of Parliament that he did not say that and that he was commenting on a newspaper publication.”
“So when this person speaks, should we listen to him? Ghana deserves better and we need to engage in more productive activities. What is the evidence that the NPP government got money from cocaine trade? Several people have been arrested under the NDC administration in connection with cocaine. Does that mean the government is engaged in cocaine? Under this government someone was arrested for possession of cocaine while a Ghana High Commission official vehicle was waiting at the airport for her. And so, who is actually sponsoring the cocaine business?
“But, for me, I will not say because an individual has been arrested under the NDC administration, it was President Mahama who was behind it. It will be baseless and unfounded on my part to say that as Fiifi Kwetey is trumpeting. This is a useless, unfounded, and baseless comment that should not be entertained at all.”
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