Skip to main content

Ghanaian president may be impeached over car ‘gift’

Ghanaian President, John Dramani Mahama

Ghanaian President, John Dramani Mahama

Ghana’s parliament has initiated moves to impeach President John Mahama with three months to the nation’s general elections.

Though the legislators are on recess, the Speaker, Joe Adjaho, has recalled them for resumption Thursday, September 1, to begin debate on the issue.

Mahama is alleged to have received an expensive car (Ford) as ‘gift’ from a contractor and national of Burkina Faso but opposition parties and a cross section of Ghanaians, have, however, insisted the present was a bribe.

According to the country’s constitution, a sitting President or political office holder is barred from collecting a gift, either in cash or kind.

Edward Boamah, the Information Minister, reacting to the allegation argued that Mahama’s government is the only one in the history of the country that has dragged its officials and party members to court over corruption allegations.

Boamah cited former Minister of Transport, Mrs. A. Attivor, and three other party faithful facing trial to buttress his assertion.

Boamah in a statement said Mahama and the contractor had been friends, since the time he (Mahama) was Vice-President.

He explained that Mahama had attended the funeral for the contractor’s father and that the car had been a donation from the Burkinabe’s family, a token of cordial relationship.

The contractor, a very successful businessman, was said to have won many deals following the gift.

The car was registered in the President’s name.

It was only a few months ago that an investigative journalist, Manasseh Azuri, unearthed the matter, sparking widespread criticism from the Ghanaian public.

The Presidency has confirmed that Mahama received the car. It, however, said the item had been donated to the presidential fleet. It vehemently denied the car was a bribe.

Opposition parties are insisting the donation might have been made after the issue became public.

The parliament has 275 members, the opposition 148. The legislature needs a two-thirds majority to scale the impeachment through.

Currently, the leading presidential candidates are Mahama (NDC); Nara Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo (NPP), son of the former Head of State Akuffo Addo; and Pa Kwesi Ndum, a business mogul of the People’s Progressives Party (PPP).

All three are holding extensive campaigns throughout the country.

Of them all, Mahama, son of a chieftain of late Kwame Nkrumah’s Convention People’s Party (CPP), is the most politically experienced.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Court grants Fani-Kayode N50m bail

Fani-kayode sandwiched by EFCC officials Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court Abuja on Thursday granted a N50m bail to former spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Fani-Kayode was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N26m. Fani-Kayode is the sole defendant in the fresh charges numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2016. The EFCC accused the defendant of diverting 26 million Naira allegedly received from the ONSA while Sambo Dasuki was in office. The anti-graft agency also accused him of handling the said N26 million without going through financial institution as required under the Money Laundering Act. The embattled former minister is already facing 17-count charge of money laundering before the Lagos Division of the court, along with a former Finance Minister; Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a firm; Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited. They were charg...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pope not involved in Colombian peace deal- Vatican

Pope Francis Pope Francis has turned down a request to play a role in the peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group. The Vatican in a statement issued on Wednesday in in Vatican City said that an invitation was sent to his Holiness in early August to appoint a representative to participate in the committee that selected the judges for the talks. The statement said that though Pope Francis supported the peace process, he, however, reiterated that he would not get involved in Colombian peace deal. It said that Pope was praying for the enlightenment of the hearts and minds of those who were called to promote the common good of the Colombian nation. A deal was announced last week, putting an end to five decades of internal conflict between government forces and the FARC rebels. The agreement, which needed to be ratified through a referendum in Oct. 2, would entail setting up a special court to grant amnesties or pu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fall of Assad is a Blow to Russia's Prestige

The potential fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a long-standing ally of Russia, would mark a turning point in Moscow’s global influence, particularly in the Middle East. Steve Rosenberg’s analysis underscores the profound implications for Russia, which has invested heavily—both militarily and politically—in ensuring Assad’s survival over the past decade. This article delves into why Assad’s downfall would strike at the core of Russian prestige and what it could mean for the broader geopolitical landscape. Russia's Strategic Commitment to Syria Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Russia has been a staunch supporter of Assad's regime. In 2015, Moscow launched a military intervention that proved decisive in stabilizing Assad’s hold on power. This intervention solidified Russia's role as a key power broker in the Middle East and demonstrated its willingness to project military power far beyond its borders. Syria is not just an ally for Russia; it is a...
Post a Comment
Read more