Controversy rages over seizure of Chief Kufuor's vehicle

Controversy looms over the ownership of a vehicle which Chief Kufuor, son of former President John Agyekum Kufuor, had been attempting to re-register at the offices of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in Accra.

Secretary to the NDC transition team Alex Segbefia confirmed the seizure on Joy FM's news analysis programme, News File on Saturday but served notice that the vehicle would be returned if it were established that it was not state-owned. The former President's son is reported to have returned home by taxi.

Editor of the Crusading Guide newspaper, Kwaku Bako, had ealier on the programme stated that checks by his paper into the matter had revealed that although the vehicle had been in the possession of Chief Kufuor, it originally belonged to and had been registered in the name of Mr George Kufuor, an uncle to Chief Kufuor.

Chief Kufuor's vehicle was among a fleet of vehicles which were impounded on Friday at the offices of the DVLA on suspicion that they were state-owned vehicles being illegally re-registered as private properties of some ex-government functionaries.

Mr Segbefia dismissed assertions that the government's effort to retrieve the vehicles amounted to persecuting the opposition.
The transition secretary stated that the programme is only to ensure that “the state takes what belongs to it.”

The “repossession exercise” being embarked upon comes at a time when the assets sub-committees of the transition teams of both the outgoing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) are finalising protocols and proposals to ensure a smooth transfer of certain assets.

Meanwhile former Chief of Staff at the Osu Castle, Kwame Mpiani, who called into the programme condemned perceptions that the vehicles which were being registered belonged to the state.

He said his office had prepared a record of all state-owned vehicles including those secured for the Ghana@50 celebrations.
Mr Mpiani however supplied information that “most of the vehicles were sold.”

Although not sure of the exact number of vehicles on the government Assets of Inventory, the former Chief of Staff presented the following as vehicles purchased for the country's 50th birthday: 50 Mercedez Benz saloon cars, 50 BMW saloon cars, 35 Chryslers, 40 Peugeots, 35 Jaguars and a few buses.

He said his office disposed of all the vehicles except for some 35 Peugeot cars which were assigned to the police force, and 11 Benz and BMW saloon cars which currently remain at the Castle car park.

Story by Fiifi Koomson