Feature: Fugitive Ofori-Atta De-Listed

“Let me end by a quotation from Jeremiah 29:7 ‘Seek ye the peace and prosperity of our nation. Pray to the Lord for it because if it prospers, you too will prosper” – Kenneth Yaw Ofori Atta Budget Speech: March 2022

EEISHH! The glib-tongued immaculately white-clothed ex-Finance Minister declared “wanted” by the Special Prosector? “prompromnntehodaa” or in Ghanaspeak, “sweet, not always.”

Unbelievable, nay, incredible (French: “incroyable”) for the “holy” man who did not take a monthly salary and resigned from his own Data Bank as a “patriotic” Ghanaian piling up loans upon loans with his Data Bank receiving commissions while plunging Ghana into a debt of GH¢740 billion plus.

Ghana “since 2017,  having to navigate the serious revenue shocks on the back of COVID-19 and distortions to our supply chain…” Big English, bombastic explanations, but the Vice President, Bawumia would come to our “colloquial” level and say in 2016 ($1.00 = GH¢4.00) “When the fundamentals are weak the exchange rate will expose you…” and in August 2023 Ken Ofori Atta would say: ”….we have turned a corner” with ($1.00 = GH¢17).

The Special Prosecutor (Akwanoma – lone ranger) issued a notice: “This suspect is wanted to answer charges in respect of several cases, including the Strategic Mobilization GRA Contract, Termination of ECG-BXC contract, National Cathedral payments, Ambulance Procurement Contract and Tax Refund Account Utilization. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of this individual should alert the office by calling or sending Whatsapp message to 0554494499 / 0554484488.”

Some people “raided” Ofori Atta’s house! What for? we thought this Rambo-style had died with coups. Lamentable that the NDC’s John Jinapor had a smiliar harrowing experience, traumatizing his 6-year-old child! This damnable action led by Robert Jakpa elicited a sobering shower on Ofori Atta, and Patricia Appiagyei, the deputy minority leader noted “The harassment of former government officials must cease immediately. This country belongs to all of us, OR was it an act of reciprocity? “Ananse ye me na me nso me ye no bi” to wit (Spider did it to me and I did it to him in return), colloquially: “You do me, I do you”.

Mahama Ayariga (MP for Bawku Central and Majority Leader) has since “apologized” The “Jack-where-are-you” or “kwaane-kwaane” tag on Ofori Atta return to Ghana had been tagged “indefinitely”. Audi alteram partem is a hallowed principle in our democracy – to debunk charges like the one from Captain Smart on Onua FM on 13/02/25: “Akufo-Addo ne n’abusuafoo ye – aman-boe foo” (Akufo-Addo and his family are nation-wreckers). National Cathedral with funding from private pockets? the charge by McKeown, carrying cement as his personal contribution to the construction site as a Pentecost member.

Mustapha Hamid (PhD) had once said: “Walahi, the Presidency has been so depraved, so muddied, so dirtied… and we need to rescue this nation…”  A sobbing Stephen Amoah (Sticka) MP for Nhyiaeso had lamented: “…Enti mondweneomanyiho? Adwuma a Akufo-Addo aye yi (and the sound faded off).

By close of day, Tuesday 18/02/25, the OSP had removed Ofori Atta’s name from the wanted list, but cautioned: “If Mr. Ofori-Atta fails to voluntarily return to the jurisdiction on or around the stated date… he will be re-entered on the OSP’s wanted list… Cash drawn from Contingency Fund NOT Consolidated Fund, disregard for pensioners demanding their bond refunds; E-levy, destruction of toll booths…

Sam Pee Yalley on Metro TV (13/02/25) says if there were any politician who had brought a problem upon himself that person should be Ofori Atta (paraphrased). A blogger puts it this way: “Ken Ofori Atta paanie. I’m sure he regrets working for Akufo-Addo. See how his hard-earned reputation has been messed up.” And, remember, Akufo-Addo, in his “tintin, tininti” stance would show insouciance and disregard the calls by 88 NPP MPs to remove non-performing Ofori Atta.

To the one who calls Akufo-Addo a “rogue”, there were thousands of NPP sympathizers who had bought into Akufo-Addo’s “scam” in April 2015 (at TESCON Meeting, University of Cape Coast): “The fight against corruption should start with an incorruptible president. I can assure you in all humility that I am not, have never been, and will never be, corrupt… I have stated publicly that people who see service in government as avenue for making money will have no place in my government. Their proper place is the private sector where money making is a positive thing…”

So, Akufo-Addo came into government and got the Office of Special Prosecutor established under Act 959 with “gargantuan” man, Martin Amidu, an NDC man, once a Vice Presidential Candidate under Mills. In the “haunted” OSP house, he was expected to “chase” corrupt people (typically NDC), turned on his sponsor, Akufo-Addo and called him, the “master-serpent of corruption”, no doublespeak as in George Orwell’s “1984” “War is Peace”, “Freedom is slavery” and “Ignorance is strength”.

And despite the non-functional “Agenda 111 “extolling the virtues of Akufo-Addo’s health policy, Ofori Atta had to go to expensive Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota, USA, for medical attention and paid $58m for a “hole” called the National Cathedral.

Rosalinde Ayarna calls on all officials who had embezzled funds to be brought to book, even if in the style of Umaru Dikko of Nigeria in 1984, put in a crate from the Stansted Airpot UK to Nigeria, drugged by Israeli anaesthetist accused of stealing $1 billion as Minister of Transport under Shehu Shagari…

And government agencies (including State Transport Company) were moving from SIC to private insurance companies… But hear the suit of Hosllistar Duah-Yentumi; her refusal to hand over to Agyenim-Boateng. A gross salary of GH¢70,000/month); entertainment allowance of GH¢84,000 per year (i.e GH¢7,000/month); clothing allowance of GH¢7,000/month, canteen allowance of GH¢850/ month, professional allowance of GH¢1,200/ month, house – help GH¢3,000 month, personal security GH¢3,000/ month; garderner GH¢2,000/ month familiarization tour to any destination; $3,000.00 for air ticket with GH¢180/diem; payment of all utility bills, property rates, other taxes for her official residence; payment of annual membership for one professional association, provision of a Land Cruiser to be sold to her at the end of her 4-year stint, 450 liters of fuel monthly, provision of a mobile phone and a rechargeable unit… all subject to 15% increment review, provision of medical care for herself, her spouse, her five children below the age of 18 or up to 22 if still schooling or unemployed.

Rev. Owusu-Bempah asks whether the President has “immunity”. Check Article 57 (5) the President shall not, while in office as President, be personally liable to any civil or criminal proceedings in court. But Article 57 (6) says no immunity: “Civil or criminal proceedings may be instituted against a person within three years after his ceasing to be President, in respect of anything done or committed to be done by him in his personal capacity before or during his term of office notwithstanding any period of limitation except where the proceedings had been legally banned before he assumed the office of President.

Oh, the labourer at (?) earned less than GH¢700/month, took a loan of GH¢6,000.00 and went home on pension penniless because the loan repayment had consumed ALL his pension entitlement!

 

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