Former President John Agyekum Kufuor says he feels vindicated following the open admission before the Appointments Committee of Parliament by the Eastern Regional Minister designate, Victor Smith that a $5billion allegation against him was a complete fabrication.
Frank Agyekum, spokesperson for the former president stated that the inability of the Minister-designate to prove the allegations vindicates former President Kufuor of the lies that were published to dent his image.
�We feel vindicated that when we said it was not true, now it has come out that it is not true and he himself has said he has no basis,� he said.
Former Ambassador to Czech Republic, Mr. Smith, published in 2008 when he was the Managing Editor of the now defunct Weekly Standard newspaper that Mr Kufuor had been involved in a US$5 billion dubious oil deal in Kuwait.
But the former aide to ex President Jerry Rawlings was forced to eat humble pie when he appeared before the Appointments Committee for vetting and failed to substantiate the allegation.
Ambrose Dery, the deputy Minority Leader and MP for Lawra/Nandom decided to grill Mr. Smith on the allegation.
�Mr. Victor Smith, you made the publication that President Kufuor was involved in a $5 billion oil deal, can you prove this if you are put in the witness box today?� he asked.
However, Mr Smith in his response backtracked on the allegations and stated categorically that he had no proof of what he had earlier put out in the public domain.
�Mr. Chairman, as I sit here I cannot prove it...the information was given to me by somebody close to former President Kufuor at the time I was managing a newspaper,� he said.
When pushed further by Mr Dery to substantiate the allegations, Mr. Smith said �As a person, I cannot tell whether it is true or not.�
Eventually, he admitted he could not prove the allegation.
Speaking in an interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on PeaceFM's "Kokrokoo" Morning Show, Frank Agyekum said Mr Smith's failure
to back the allegations with any form of incontrovertible evidence clearly vindicates the former president, adding that the whole allegations came as a shock to Mr Kufuor.
�We thank God that the truth has finally come out for all Ghanaians to know that all those allegations were false. He made false allegations and defended it so much that people believed his lies; it was heartbreaking but no matter how much you deny it, Ghanaians were not accepting it,� he said.
According to him, it was ridiculous, the figure bandied about by Mr Smith since no country could just dole out $5billion to the president of another country. He accused the NDC of consistently denigrating people and publishing falsehood in their desperation to win power, not caring who gets scarred along the way.
"...Victor Smith was not the only politician who made vague allegations against Mr Kufuor,...current Central Regional Minister, Ama Benyiwa-Doe and deputy Finance Minister, Fifi Kwetey, among others, made spurious allegations against him (Kufuor)...even if we give Mr. Smith thousand years, he will not be able to provide any evidence...he has dented his own image and credibility...thankfully, the truth has been revealed for all Ghanaians to see some of the lies peddled by the NDC...," Frank Agyekum said.
Source: Beatrice Adepa Frempong/Peacefmonline.com
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
Comments