Rawlings Accuser Runs For Cover

Former President Jerry John Rawlings has been storming Norway, severally and precisely taking on a Norwegian newspaper, Dagens Naeringsliv and tearing apart a false allegation of bribery levelled against him by the paper. Surprisingly, the Norwegian newspaper�s editors have conveniently decided to remain absolutely silent whist the Ghanaian former President and founder of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) made a decisive case on Norwegian soil. The Catalyst newspaper has learnt that the accusing newspaper has since made no attempt to save its wobbling credibility in the face of the bountiful exposure of the false publication by the former Ghanaian President. A Norwegian newspaper, Dagens Naeringsliv, in 2007 published the unsubstantiated allegation of bribery by Scancem, the Norwegian cement giant, against former President Rawlings. This triggered off total jubilation in the camp of the naysayers of the former President. They said among themselves, �we�ve got him this time.� Even a remarkable revelation by Mr. Austin Gamey, one time minister under the Rawlings administration that he personally delivered the Scancem money to Dr. Obed Asamoah in fertilizer sacks and that former President Rawlings knew nothing about it was ignored by the �nail Rawlings at all costs� crusaders. But the tumultuous jubilation was short-lived. It came to light in the time that the allegation by Dagens Naeringsliv was just one of those wild allegations against the incorruptible former President of the Republic of Ghana. It is not too clear what motivated the Norwegian newspaper to have descended so law. A source told the Catalyst that the media outside Africa finds it unbelievable that an African former President could be absolutely clean from corruption after ruling for 19 years. Two Ghanaian newspaper editors, Kweku Baako Jnr of the then Crusading Guide and Gabby Asare Otchere Darko of the now defunct The Statesman, who went on a mercenary mission in Norway, tried in vain to find anything incriminating to support the newspaper�s false allegation of corruption against former President Rawlings. But former President Rawlings has lived to fight another day as he has over the last few days taken advantage of a trip to Norway to drive home the important point about his incorruptible nature and the blatant falsehood in the Dagens Naeringsliv publication. Former President Rawlings has at various forums during this visit to Norway strongly disabused the minds of his audience about the report in the Norwegian newspaper in 2007 that he and his wife took millions of dollars in bribe money from a cement company, Scancem. The allegations published by Dagens Naeringsliv has since been proved untrue, but the newspaper has brazenly declined to retract its allegations and apologise. The former President said in a statement that he and wife had lived a simple life throughout his time in government and beyond. He challenged all who were keen on pursuing the matter further to investigate every aspect of his life and confirm whether he had stashed stolen wealth in offshore accounts. �They can call on the CIA, Interpol, etc to investigate, they will find nothing. �When people have been punished for corrupt acts under my watch, how can I turn around and practice the same vices,� the former President asked. Former President Rawlings said unfortunately he did not have sufficient funds to hire an expensive international lawyer to pursue a libel case against Dagens Naeringsliv, which has wide circulation in Norway.