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The Deputy Minister-designate for Trade and Industry and former Presidential Spokesperson, Mahama Ayariga, has been cleared by the Appointments Committee to be approved for his new position, but questions are still being asked about issues pertaining to his acquisition of five (5) tractors. Mahama Ayariga applied for a tractor but was given five (5) by the Ministry of Agriculture which was contrary to the rule governing the acquisition of the tractors. The tractors were to be acquired by companies and corporate bodies and not individuals, but Members of Parliament were allowed to apply for a tractor each. Speaking to Peace FM exclusively on �Kokrokoo�, the MP for Nsuta-Kwamang Beposo in the Ashanti Region, Hon Osei-Prempeh Kwame said the former presidential spokesperson should be scrutinized in depth to get to the root of the issue. According to him, every individual who applied for a tractor was to be given one but he believes Mahama Ayariga used his position as the President�s Spokesperson. This amounts to a conflict of interest and influence peddling�, he told Kwami Sefa Kayi. He said, though he was then a deputy Attorney-General in the previous NPP regime, he could not persuade the then Director in charge of the tractors, and was never allowed to apply for two. �One Mr. Boamah who is now the Chief Director at the Agriculture Ministry denied me access�, he stated. He told Peace FM that he then needed the tractors badly since it was an election year and as such, farmers in his constituency were pressuring him for tractors. He further explained that in applying for the tractor, a down payment of Gh�4,000 was to be made before delivery, after which the remaining Gh�14,000 would be paid within a 4-year period. Hon Osei-Prempeh Kwame said, he applied for the GH�18,000 worth tractor about two years ago and will have to finish payment in 2012, as allowed. He added that the farmers he acquired the tractors for, have not been able to raise the remaining GH�14,000. They have only raised GH�2,400 which was not enough for the payment. For now, the tractor has even broken down and is being maintained at Nsutam, according to the Nsuta Kwamang Beposo MP.