General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, wants the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the Office of the Special Prosecutor to investigate claims that the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo Addo, used her influence to broker a deal for a Chinese firm operating in Ghana, STARTIMES CORPORATION.
The NDC stalwart is accusing the First Lady of receiving a bribe from Star Times - currently in negotiation with government for a contract on the Digital Terrestrial Platform project - through her charity organisation, Rebecca Foundation.
Undue Influence?
Media reports had indicated that Mrs Akufo-Addo had been allegedly bribed to use her influence to secure the deal for the Chinese firm after images of her jointly unveiling a football kit with the Chinese firm on the sidelines of the 2018 Forum on China-Africa Corporation (FOCAC) went viral.
But the First Lady subsequently issued a disclaimer in a rejoinder following the media publications linking StarTimes Corporation to her Foundation.
“STARTIMES CORPORATION offered to provide football kits for the children because of their association with Ghana football. This worthy effort, it must be stated, was not at the instance of the Foundation.
“The support was publicly announced and it is purely for charitable purposes. It is worth emphasising that neither the First Lady nor the Foundation has any role to play in any engagement between Star Times and the Government of Ghana, either directly or indirectly,” the Rebecca Foundation stated in the release.
Though the First Lady’s Office’s statement did not attribute the claims to anyone, the MP for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini, had earlier during that week, suggested on Citi FM/Citi TV that President Nana Akufo-Addo may be compromised when it came to StarTimes’ work in Ghana.
“In the case of StarTimes, I am beginning to suspect that perhaps, he [the President] has compromised himself in a way.”
“I say so because we have all heard and read about the President’s itinerary when he went to China recently and in one of his engagements, he had a special meeting with the President of StarTimes. We have also seen donations that StarTimes has made to the wife.”
CHRAJ & S P Must Come In
In an interview with OkayFM's Kwame Tikesie on the "Ade Akye Abia" Morning Show, Asiedu Nketia, affectionately called General Mosquito, strongly held that it was inappropriate for Mrs Rebecca Addo to have accepted a gift from StarTimes which was negotiating for a contract from government as that could amount to influencing the government to award the contract to StarTimes.
To him, it is only fair if state investigative bodies take up this matter to clear the First Lady once and for all.
"...when the NPP was in opposition, they made similar bribery allegations against former President John Mahama for receiving a car as a gift from a Burkinabe contractor, Djibril Kanazoe."
"And irrespective of the fact that the then President handed over the vehicle to the state, the NPP insisted it was a bribe and even hauled him (Mahama) before CHRAJ," he stated.
Background
StarTimes has clinched a controversial deal with the Government of Ghana to extend satellite TV to 300 villages in Ghana amid fierce opposition by the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA).
StarTimes has also been awarded a deal by the Ministry of Communication to finish the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) Network Platform started K-NET, a local firm.
According to the Communications Ministry, K-NET has stalled on the project due to financial constraints, hence the need for StarTimes to finish it up.
Source: Isaac kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]
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