Martin Amidu, the former Special Prosecutor has alleged that President Nana Akufo-Addo had knowledge of the 2018 undercover video in which dismissed Minister of State for the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu Boahen, was allegedly implicated.
According to him, Akufo-Addo knew of the video through Member of Parliament of Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, who publicly stated that he had possession of videos showing corruption on the part of top ministers and pro-regime businessmen.
Amidu added to the extent that the president knew of the video yet failed to take action by way of dismissing Adu Boahen as far back as 2018 when the recordings were made, it called into question his fight against corruption.
Amidu explained in a statement that the; “alleged suspected corruption offence for which Charles Adu Boahen’s appointment was terminated on 14 November 2022 was committed on 8 February 2018 in his capacity as a Deputy Minister for Finance under the 7th Parliament and Government of the Fourth Republic whose tenure ended on 6 January 2021.”
He added that “the suspected corruption on 8 February 2018 was known to the Government through Kennedy Agyapong who had obtained a copy of the videotape and did not make a secrete of it to the Government. Nonetheless, Adu Boahen was paid his end-of-service benefits for his services to that Government.”
He chastised the fact that Adu Boahen was elevated from deputy Minister – a post he served between 2017 – 2021 – to Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, the post he held till his dismissal.
He, thus, accused Akufo-Addo of firing Adu Boahen because of political expediency citing further the threat of a budget boycott by MPs demanding the dismissal of Ken Ofori-Atta for recent economic hardship.
“The President who was already under pressure from rebel members of his majority caucus to remove Adu Boahen from office for the economic mess caused by the President’s management of the country chose to sacrifice him for political expediency,” he stressed.
‘Galamsey Economy’ documentary and aftershocks
Investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, last week released the contents of his latest documentary, portions of which were apparently recorded in 2018, but released last week.
Dubbed the ‘Galamsey Economy,’ the piece led to the sacking of Charles Adu Boahen, the Minister of State at the Finance Ministry.
He was dismissed over some comments he made in the documentary to the effect that Vice President Bawumia took an ‘appearance fee’ of USD200,000 before helping investors seeking to set up businesses in Ghana.
The Vice President in a statement flatly denied the allegations.
Adu Boahen met the investigators disguised as investors in Dubai, where their interaction, which included the sacked Minister (at the time a deputy Minister of Finance) was recorded taking an unspecified amount of dollars as a ‘gift.’
Source: ghanaweb.com