Ghana is footing part of the bills for the upkeep of the former Guantanamo Bay detainees being hosted in the country.
This is according to the Public Affairs Counselor at the US Embassy in Ghana, Daniel Fennell.
President Mahama has said government did not make any monetary gain from the US government for hosting Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby in Ghana.
[contextly_sidebar id=”knM701ulJ92YoUZ682VBJQx7oWCiDbkW”]Speaking on TV3’s Hot Issues hosted by Kwesi Pratt which will be aired on Saturday, January 16, Daniel Fennel said the upkeep of the inmates is “a shared expense.”
“It’s a shared expense…we are contributing some for the monitoring and upkeep of the individuals and the government of Ghana. We are contributing some money towards that and the government of Ghana is making all the arrangements and taking care of them,” he said.
When the host probed further on whether government was using tax payers money to take care of the former Guantanamo inmates, Mr. Fennel said “I think so” adding that “is that so difficult to imagine that Ghana would pay for something that is happening in Ghana?”
“I think it’s laudable and we should be proud of Ghana,” he added.
Mr. Fennel also said the security of the former detainees is also “a shared cost.”
“The government of Ghana under the constitution is responsible for the security of everything in Ghana so they are keeping track at it, they are better at it, they are smart and we think they are doing an excellent job,” he noted.
–
By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana