Bullet proof cars for Kufuor: Mischief Exposed

The West and Central African representative of Bukkehave, the Danish manufacturers of special projects vehicles for the UN and governments across the globe, has expressed his dismay at what he describes as “sleazy, and fictional piece of journalism,” over the haulage by air of two fully armoured 4 x 4 Nissan Patrol vehicles acquired by the Government of Ghana. In an interview with THE STATESMAN, the unnamed agent stressed that the two vehicles were air freighted to Ghana at no extra cost to the tax-payer. Under the Letters of Credit, the cost of shipment was 5,670 euros. The company, according to THE STATESMAN, decided to fly them in because it had delayed in shipping the special vehicles to Government and also the cost margin between air cargo and sea cargo was minimal. The agent explained that the deal with Government was struck in August 2003. It was initially delayed by the process of the LC by the Bank of Ghana. “There was also a delay on our part. That is why, under pressure from the Chief of Staff, we decided to fly the vehicles down at our own cost. So under the LC the figure that we changed the Government never charged”, he explained.