National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for the South Tongu Constituency in the Volta Region, Kobla Mensah Woyome, has refuted claims by some opposition parties and pressure groups, that a Ford vehicle gift said to be worth about $100,000 from a Burkinabe contractor to President John Mahama, was an inducement for contracts.
A 2010 Ford Expedition offered the President in 2012 by Djibril Kanazoe, according to reports, was prior to an attempt by the contractor, to win a bid to execute the Dodo Pepeso-Nkwanta road construction project.
[contextly_sidebar id=”cxLIijoMWhv7RxKlDiiJgvGdAMLeXzm8″]But addressing students of Akatsi College of Education in the Volta Region during the inauguration of TEIN executives, the MP said the gift cannot constitute bribery.
In his view, the accusations by the opposition were only aimed at injuring the reputation of the President.
“Don’t be surprised tomorrow you will hear all kinds of things been thrown out at our president just like what they started by saying a gift has turned into a bribe. You can only talk about bribe when the person who is giving out the thing knows that that thing is going to influence the person’s decision in getting something in return. The President was not in any position to give out anything,” Hon. Woyome stated.
Mr. Kobla Mensah Woyome, junior brother to businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome, wondered why some opposition parties would be peddling falsehood about the government, when in fact, Ghanaians are already enjoying from the good works of the NDC.
His argument supports government’s official statement by the Communication Ministry, disputing the bribery allegations against the President.
Government in its statement confirmed receipt of the gift by the President, but said it was added to the government’s pool of state vehicles, and that the gift has no links to the contracts award Mr. Dzibril Kanazoe, and therefore does not amount to corruption or conflict of interest.
The TEIN event brought together all executives from the Akatsi South constituency of the party including the MP for the area, Hon. Bernard Ahiafor, some regional executives of the NDC and Actor John Dumelo.
_
By: King Norbert Akpablie/election.citifmonline.com/Ghana