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Mills Strikes

By Daily Guide
Mon, 12 Jan 2009 | Print | E-Mail | PDF | Graphics Version
Politics

Some of the seized cars The family of former President John Agyekum Kufuor appears to be under some siege of a sort as the residences and vehicles of the former first family have been put under sustained surveillance by a number of National Democratic Congress (NDC) activists and some uniformed policemen seeking what they claim are surreptitious registration of government vehicles.

Since last Thursday, the Driver, Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA) was a scene of frantic activities by a group of soldiers and NDC cadres who claimed they were on a 'repossession exercise', seizing vehicles they suspected belonged to government.

In the process many infractions were recorded, which did not only embarrass the in-coming administration, but also sent signals of retaliation on the outgoing administration.

At least two members of the first family were confronted and their cars taken away from them several kilometers away from home.

Chief Kufuor, son of the former president, and Madam Theresa Kufuor, former First Lady, were two of the victims of the NDC raids, apart from a former deputy minister.

Chief Kufuor's Four Wheel Drive, which actually belonged to George Kufuor, his uncle, was impounded at the DVLA premises when he (Chief) took it there for a renewal of a MOT certification.

No amount of explanation would be accepted and after the vehicle was impounded, the ex-president's son had to go back home in a taxi.

In the case of Mrs. Kufuor, she sent her driver (name withheld) went to a filling station for refueling when he was reportedly pulled out of the car in a traffic jam because the car was suspected to be a government vehicle.

Like her son, Theresa's driver had to return home in a hired taxi. But while Chief Kufuor's car was returned to him on Friday night, nothing had been heard about his mother's car.

Apparently, the area around the former President's residence at the Airport West Residential Area was ambushed by NDC activists and some uniformed personnel, who upon seeing any car coming out of the house, would follow it and intercept it if it 'looked like a government vehicle'.

Many government officials, including a deputy minister reportedly suffered similar humiliation.

As at the time of going to bed, reports reaching DAILY GUIDE was that a team of soldiers and police personnel had invaded the residence of Samuel Obiri, a kingpin of the NPP and Director of Operations in the Nana Akufo-Addo campaign team to tow all vehicles that were in the house.

The invaders were reported to have gone to the house with towing vehicles and claimed that Samuel Obiri was keeping state vehicles.

Samuel Obiri was reported to have travelled outside Accra when the incident happened.

Madam Alice Ofori-Atta, a resident of Accra, said her blue Tata Pick-up was forcibly taken from her house to the Accra International Conference Centre, temporary office of President John Evans Atta Mills.

She told the paper that even though she explained to the people involved in the seizure that the documents were at her residence near the EC office, and that she was ready to accompany them to get it, they simply asked her to send the documents to the Police Headquarters.

Madam Ofori-Atta insisted she bought the pick-up from PHC Motors.

Meanwhile, Mr. Paul Victor (P.V.) Obeng, chairman of the government transition team has assured that government would apologize to all persons who had been embarrassed during the transition process.

Speaking on Joy FM's Newsfile on Saturday, Mr. Obeng said he had already summoned the Assets Committee and all stakeholders involved in the registration exercise to resolve the issue.

“I believe that we will be able to put in place a mechanism that will ensure that these aberrations don't occur to embarrass anybody,” he said.

According to him, the entire transition process had so far been generally smooth, and described as isolated, the reported confiscation of what looked like state-owned vehicles.

He said he doubted the possibility of any wrongdoing on the part of former government officials and stressed the transition team would apologize if any administrative lapses, which must have led to the confiscation of the vehicles, were recorded.

But Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani, former Chief of Staff, who called into the same programme, condemned the blanket perception that every vehicle that was being registered at the DVLA around this time was a government vehicle.

He said his office had prepared a record of all state-owned vehicles, including those procured for the Ghana@50 celebrations.

He gave the list of vehicles purchased for the celebrations which were subsequently used for the African Union (AU) Summit as 50 Benz cars, 50 BMW, 35 Chrysler, 40 Peugeot, 35 Jaguar, 10 Passat and a number of buses.

“If you don't know what you have, how can you know what is yours? he retorted to a statement from Alex Segbefia, secretary to the transitional team.

He said some of the cars had been sold while others were being used by the Police, adding that at least 25 of the Chrysler cars were for state functions.

Even though it was not clear how many of such cases were recorded, a source at the DVLA told DAILY GUIDE that some 30 vehicles had so far been seized over suspicious ownership change.

Another source who sought anonymity bemoaned the slowdown of business at the DVLA as a result of the activities of the party activists who were rampantly taking possession of vehicles being brought into the yard for ownership change procedures.

When DAILY GUIDE visited the DVLA offices on Friday, a notice dated 9/1/08 had been pasted on the notice board to the effect that all applicants seeking to change the ownership of government vehicles should seek clearance from the Chief Director, Office of the President.

The paper has reliably learnt that an ash coloured VW Passat saloon car had been impounded and handed over to the Police for investigation when the vehicle was brought there for ownership change procedures.

It would be recalled that DAILY GUIDE on Thursday published a story in which Mr. Victor Smith, former aide to ex-president Jerry John Rawlings said the NDC won the recent elections and therefore had the mandate to take state property.

He said he would not tolerate any reckless story from the paper's reporter who spoke to him.

By Bennett Akuaku


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