Presidential Ford Saga: CHRAJ asks petitioners to bring more evidence

The issue of the car gift presented to President John Mahama by Burkinabe contractor, Djibril Kanazoe, has taken an interesting turn, with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) asking for more evidence before it can investigate the saga.

It follows a petition submitted to CHRAJ by the youth wing of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) for it to investigate the allegation. The move by the party’s youth has led to the suspension of two of CPP’s elected national officers – the Youth Organiser, Ernesto Yeboah and General Secretary, Nii Armah Akomfrah.

This was after revelations that President Mahama received a gift in the form of a brand new 2010 model Ford Expedition vehicle from Kanazoe, who later won juicy Ghana government contracts. It is believed that his friendship with the president earned him some contracts, including the construction of a fence wall at the Ghana Embassy in Burkina Faso at a cost of $650,000 and the Dodo Pepeso-Nkwanta road worth €25.9 million.

Kanazoe chickened out of the third one, a 28-kilometre road project between Wa and Hamile in the Upper West Region at an estimated cost of GH¢82 million after the scandal broke. Meanwhile, CHRAJ wants the petitioners to provide more evidence to enable it investigate the matter.

In a letter dated July 13, 2016 with reference number CHRAJ/145/2016 and addressed to the Secretary of the National Youth League of the CPP, Director In-Charge of Anti-Corruption at the Commission, Charles Ayamdoo stated, “We write to request you to provide to the Commission further and better particulars in relation to the complaint, in particular, the following; clarify the capacity in which the complaint was brought to the Commission and evidence you may have apart from the story by Manasseh Azure, which you sourced from www.myjoyonline.com.gh,” on or before next week Wednesday, July 20, 2016 or thereafter hold your peace since there would probably be no basis of investigating the said scandal.

Even though government, and for that matter President Mahama has denied any wrongdoing, some individuals, civil society organizations and political activists – except the flagbearer of the CPP, Ivor Kobina Greenstreet – think otherwise.

They believe the supposed vehicle gift which government claims was placed in the presidential pool of vehicles could have influenced the president in giving Kanazoe more contracts. Government has since failed to show a picture of it, let alone its registration details.

But Ivor Greenstreet, who is believed to have instigated the suspension of Ernesto Yeboah and Nii Armah Akomfrah from the party, sees nothing wrong with the president receiving the Ford Expedition gift, raising doubts about the seriousness of the CPP and its leadership in the fight against corruption.