Former President John Dramani Mahama has forcefully accused President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of stealing state resources through his relatives who are in government.
Mr. Mahama who was speaking in an interview on Pan-African television with Kwesi Pratt argued that he bequeathed a sound economy to the Nana Addo administration after the 2016 election.
According to him, the 2016 budget was financed with zero financing from the Bank of Ghana, an indication that the economy was positioned for a prosperous take off in the following year.
“By the time we left office… We financed the budget with our own revenues. We didn’t move 1 cedi from the Central Bank. For the first time in Ghana’s history, everything we financed in the budget in 2016, we did zero Central Bank financing. This had put the economy on a platform where the Nana Addo administration after taking over with the additional oil revenues and other things, we would have just continued fiscal consolidation and you would have felt the prosperity,” he said.
The National Democratic Congress flagbearer further accused Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta of inordinate borrowing because Data Bank, a company linked to the Minister receives commission on bonds that government floats.
John Dramani Mahama argued that the Finance Minister has borrowed in excess of $9 billion from the bond market, while pointing to a conflict of interest situation which President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has overlooked.
“This is clearly conflict of interest and the President knows about it and that’s why he says I’m too old to be corrupt; I’m not going to steal your money because he knew his relatives will steal the money for him. That’s exactly what is happening. They can go to a plush retirement because Ofori Atta, Gabby and Bompty and co will look after him,” Mr. Mahama added.
