President Nana Akufo-Addo
New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central says President Akufo-Addo rejected a Christmas gift worth $500,000 from a company last year.
Speaking on Adom TV’s morning show programme, ‘Badwam,’ Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, who failed to name the company, said it would be very difficult for Nana Addo to be tagged as corrupt because he is not materialistic.
“On 23rd December last year, a company went to visit Nana Addo and gave him a Christmas gift worth $500,000 but he rejected it. If you don’t believe me, just call Stephen Amoah and inquire from him.
“All these should tell you that Nana Addo is not corrupt. Can you believe he told that company that if they want to do business in the country, they can go ahead and not over-step their boundaries,” he stated.
Mr Agyapong was of the firm conviction that President Akufo-Addo did not aspire to be president to take bribes and encourage more corruption in the country.
According to him, though the Mahama-led government encouraged corrupt practices in his government, Nana Addo, per his leadership style, will not condone such acts in his administration.
President Akufo-Addo had earlier sounded a warning to persons hoping to serve in his government with the sole aim of making money to look elsewhere.
“If your goal in coming into government is to enrich yourself, then don’t come. Go to the private sector. Public service is going to be exactly that; public service!” Nana Addo stated.
Explaining further, Mr Agyapong maintained that these words from President Akufo-Addo should not be taken lightly since he is ready to deal with people planning such acts.
Opuni To Be Jailed
The Assin Central MP said he would personally ensure that former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod), Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni, is put behind bars.
According to him, Dr Opuni presided over corruption during his tenure and believes this affected cocoa production in Ghana, hence he must be exposed to serve a jail term as deterrent to others.
“Opuni will go to jail and I will make sure he pays dearly for his crimes. If we refuse to jail him, Ghanaians will vote against us in the next four years and so we need to get corrupt officials like him away from the country,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo, in a letter dated January 12, 2017, and signed by the Executive Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo, directed Opuni to vacate his post pursuant to Section 14 (1) of the Presidential (Transition) Act, 2012 (Act 845).
Kennedy Agyapong argued that Dr Opuni may have been removed from office, “but his deals had cost the country dearly and therefore it is time we make him pay for his bad deeds.”
Mr Agyapong further alleged that the former Cocobod boss sneaked into his office and started shredding documents believed to be fishy contracts he signed while in office to conceal his deals from the transition team.
“What he forgot was that he already took a snap shot of those documents and we will deal with him drastically,” Ken declared.