NPP Ministers Grabbing Properties (5)

Accra, May 23, (Palaver) -- We had only been hinting at it, but with the confession by Chief John Addo Kufuor that he is the owner of "Hotel Kufuor" and the revelation of his Public Relations Consultant, Charles Sam, that it was Daddy John Agyekum Kufuor who prevailed on his son Chief Kufuor to purchase the US$8 million, 7-storey "Hotel Kufuor" building, we now realise that there is official sanction for, and a definitive pattern to, the NPP's amassing of wealth and acquisition of property through the rape of the national treasury. In the past, the following have been some of the asset-grabbing and property-acquisition expeditions that have been hinted at in the newspapers "Hotel Kufuor" that was purchased by Chief John Addo Kufuor as far back as 2003 was at that time converted into a virtual barracks and armoury, housing hundreds of soldiers and the most sophisticated of military hardware, including armoured cars and armoured personnel carriers. President J. A. Kufuor's US$500,000 Atasomanso mansion in Kumasi was purchased from the same Mr. Saoud, the Lebanese-Ghanaian timber merchant who was cajoled into selling "Hotel Kufuor" to Chief John Addo Kufuor, obviously fronting for his father the President. Vice President Aliu Mahama has purchased a massive mansion covering a sizeable acreage in one of the most posh and plumiest parts of London in the United Kingdom, using as a front man one Atta, which also happens to be the pseudonym of a "puppet" of his who is also a braggart and is bragging all over the place about what he is supposed to have done for the Vice President to the extent that President Kufuor was not at all amused when he heard the story but could do very little because he had also compromised himself with the "Hotel Kufuor" issue. Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, Minister of Regional Integration and NEPAD has, since becoming Minister, built a mansion for himself at Akomadan and purchased another mansion near the Kumasi Golf Club from Unilever Ltd. at the cost of US$100,000. Mr. Alan Kyeremanteng, Minister of Trade and Industries, spent ¢700 million on the renovation of his official bungalow by Messrs Byron Co. Ltd (Independent, Monday, 7 – Tuesday, 8 June, 2004, Front Page) Mr. Samuel K. Boafo, Ashanti Regional Minister has, since becoming Minister, built a mansion at Asantemanso in Kumasi at a cost of ¢1.5 billion and received a gift of a Mercedes Benz 230 saloon car on his 50th Birthday. Mr. Yaw Amprofi, DCE for Birim South, has built a big mansion of two apartments at the residential area behind the Robson Hotel, Akim Oda, bought a BMW saloon car for ¢150 million from one Nana Yaw, owns a white saloon car, a shop and operates an abattoir (National Democrat, Monday, 14th June – Wednesday, 16th June, 2004, Front Page). Mr. N. C. Negble, DCE for Akatsi, has acquired a chain of properties, including stores at Takyiman and a 10-seater KVIP toilet facility at his Tatemale village is for the exclusive use of his few close family members. Mr. Johnson Ofori Asubonteng, DCE for the Jaman South District, has in the short time in office, acquired Mercedes and Mazda cars, a mansion in his hometown, Suma Ahenkro, a house in Sunyani and a renovated house at Techiman, in addition to having three wives and sending two of his children abroad. Dr. Richard Anane, former Minister of Roads and Transport, has constructed a magnificent edifice at Santasi in Kumasi, and has had constructed the road leading to the edifice and lit it up with impressive streetlights. Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor, Minister of Defence, has, since becoming Minister, sold his East Legon house for US$200,000 and bought himself a mansion at Cantonments at rock bottom price from Unilever Ltd, which he has renovated at a cost and to a standard fit for an Oriental nabob. There is a "scramble for land" among NPP Ministers, officials and appointees in the Prampram area, with these NPP "nouveaux riches" buying the land in such acreages and at outrageous prices without the slightest twinge of compunction as to make it obvious that such greed and avarice could only have come about through "corruption" money. The NPP Government has caused to be sold to its Ministers, Special Assistants and officials the 30 VW Phaeton saloon cars that were imported only a year and a half ago at the cost of 90,000 euros or approximately ¢1 billion each for the use of the Heads of State who attended the 2003 ECOWAS Summit, with the NPP buyers of the cars paying less that ¢200 million for each of the cars which were sold to them without going through any bidding or tender processes, and in order to cover up their misdeed, the NPP Government has caused the cars to re-registered and the registration numbers backdated to registration periods of 3-5 years ago to make it appear as if the cars were older in age than they actually are, thus effectively hiding the true identity of the cars. The NPP-sponsored new entrant on the Ghanaian automobile companies scene whose brand new showroom and offices are located on the Spintex Road, in a bid to break into the Ghanaian market by first getting the NPP Government to mass-purchase their Korean-made "Sailor" saloon cars, gave virtually every Cabinet Minister a gift of one brand new "Sailor" saloon car (in some cases two), diplomatically disguised as "Protocol Allocations", which the Ministers are scared to use and have either allocated them to their wives or are used by their drivers or in the case of a few courageous ones, by their concubines and girl friends. The question of who owns the fleet of Metro Mass buses has never been answered by the NPP Government. Starting off as the 'Easy Link Service', even the law on right hand drive vehicles had to be unconstitutionally amended with retrospective effect in order to validate the importation of right hand buses by this Service. The offices and other properties of the state-owned City Express Service have been commandeered and are being used by the Metro Mass Bus Service, but nobody knows whether this is a state organisation, a quasi-state organisation, or a wholly privately-owned organisation. Mr. Daniel Kufuor Osei, alias DK, nephew-in-law of President John Agyekum Kufuor, the Secretary to the President, earns a whopping ¢45 million per month, denominated in dollar terms as US$4,500 per month, under a consultancy contract entered into between DK and the NIRP, in addition to duty allowance of 50% of annual salary, entertainment allowance of 20% of annual salary, fully furnished official accommodation of 20% of basic salary in lieu of official accommodation, official chauffeur-driven vehicle with fuel allocation of not more than 50 litres a week, domestic servants (cook, steward, and gardener), free water, electricity and telephone, and free medical and dental care for himself and his or her spouse and two children. Similar contracts to the one signed with D. K. Osei have also been signed with Annan Cato, Secretary to the Cabinet (US$4,500 or ¢45,000,000); Dan Agyeman, Policy Analyst, Office of the President (US$3,000 or ¢30,000,000); Samuel Anning, Policy Analyst, Office of the President (US$3,000 or ¢30,000,000); David Q. Annang, Policy Analyst, Office of the President (US$3,000 or ¢30,000,00); Dr. Samuel Somuah, Office of the President (US$3,000 or ¢30,000,000) and Felix Tettey-Fio, Policy Analyst (US$3,000 or ¢30,000,000).
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