Rawlings: "Count On My Integrity In M&J Scandal"

The Former President, Flt Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, has urged Ghanaians to count on his integrity and that of his wife, in the raging Mabey and Johnson scandal, that is threatening to bring down key Ministers in President Mills� administration. Speaking briefly to journalists at the Kotoka International Airport on his return from a trip abroad on Tuesday September 29, Mr. Rawlings, whose wife Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings has been linked to the scandal, declined to comment on the details of the allegations, except to call on Ghanaians never to doubt his integrity and that of his wife. �There is a lot my wife would like to say but I think let�s give it a break for some time. Ghanaians will certainly hear from us. You can count on our integrity for a start. Never doubt my integrity and don�t doubt my wife�s integrity as far as these allegations are concerned.� He said. The allegations are currently being investigated by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice on the instructions of President John Mills. The President ordered the investigations after an English court ruling indicted some top Ghanaian politicians, including NDC officials serving in the current government of taking huge bribes in the 1980s and 1990s to influence the award of government contracts to Mabey and Johnson, a UK Construction firm. The ruling NDC has since tried to de-link itself from the scandal. In a statement signed by the Party's Chairman, Kwabena Adjei on Tuesday, the NDC said it had never received funds from Mabey and Johnson and that records available do not reveal receipt of any such funds from the UK firm. In a related development, the former President has vowed to sue Gerhard Heiberg, the former Scancem top official who accused him of taking bribes from owners of cement producing giants � GHACEM, during his days as Head of State. Mr. Heiberg was reported to have stated before a Norwegian court last year, that Mr. Rawlings and his then Advisor on Governmental Affairs, Paul Victor Obeng were among some top African personalities who received payments from Scancem to perpetuate the monopoly of GHACEM on the continent. The court recently decided on the matter but could not authenticate Mr. Heiberg�s allegations. Responding to questions from Citi News, the Spokesperson for Mr. Rawlings, Kofi Adams said unless Mr. Heiberg travels down to Accra, organizes a press conference and apologizes to the former president; he would be dragged to court to prove his allegations. �We are asking for two things, either this gentleman comes down to Accra and come and organize a press conference indicating that what was alleged that he said was not true�if he fails to do that, we would be left with no other alternative but to take him to court.� Kofi Adams added that the former president has already secured the services of a Norwegian lawyer to do the case �free of charge� but failed to disclose the name of the said benevolent legal practitioner. Mr. Rawlings had earlier said on several occasions during his recent trips to Norway, that he and his wife were too broke to hire a competent lawyer to fight their case in Norway.