A former Presidential staffer, Dr. Clement Apaak has failed to prove his claims that the John Mahama government ordered 43 new vehicles for the presidency few weeks before leaving office on the behest of the current government.
Dr. Apaak, the Buila South MP, who first made the claim on Citi FM’s ‘Big Issue‘, had promised to provide further evidence to back his claims.
But when he was called back on Eyewitness News on Monday after a Deputy Information Minister, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah had denied his claims, he failed to back down, and insisted he was right because some sources gave him that information.
According to him, his “sources” confirm that, that was what happened and not what is being suggested by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government that they bought the cars on their own accord.
Dr. Apaak’s account of events is even more questionable, especially as Citi News has sighted a document which suggests that an approval was given for the purchase of the car by the then Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, even before the formation of the transition team.
Dr. Apaak’s attempt to justify his position on Eyewitness News did not appear convincing as he failed to indicate whether or not the request by the current government was documented.
“My sources have indicated very strongly that the said request was made to our side by the current senior minister and the minister for finance, and indeed if they want to deny, they may do so, but I say this on authority and I believe from my sources as well that it was on that basis that the letter giving authorization was written by the former Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah,” he said.
He said the transition team of the then incoming NPP government made the request even at some of the transition team meetings.
Dr. Apaak said the fact that the record of such transaction was available to the current government indicated that, it was aware it being undertaken by the former government.
He challenged the government to take “remedial action” on the matter if it is dissatisfied about the transaction and deny they did not authorize it.
While contributing to the subject on The Big Issue on Saturday, Dr. Apaak said the previous government did nothing untoward in signing the agreement for the supply of the sophisticated cars.
“It’s indeed true that the said vehicles were ordered, but the request was made to our side during the transition. So if indeed the vehicles have been procured, I can say on authority that it was part of the request which was made by the incoming government,” he said.
But a deputy minister for information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah told Citi News in a separate interview that the Akufo-Addo administration’s side of the Transition team had no hand in the ordering of the 43 new vehicles as the former presidential staffer alleged.
“In all the transition meetings that we attended and in all the matters that we discussed, I had never heard of this matter….The first step when somebody makes a claim like this will be to ask him whether or not he can back this verbal claim he is making… with some sort some proof that indeed shows that this request was made before we escalate it to this level of conversation.”
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
