NDC denies bribery scandal

Dr. Kwabena Adjei sees some inaccuracies in the prosecution’s statement Email Print Have Your Say ( 22 ) The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has denied knowledge of the Mabey & Johnson bribery scandal levelled against some top officials of the party. The denial was contained in press statement issued Monday evening and signed by the party’s National Chairman Dr. Kwabena Adjei. It said “Records available to the party do not reveal receipts of any such funds from the said company or its agents.” A British construction firm, Mabey & Johnson, pleaded guilty at the Southwark Crown Court in London, last Friday, to charges of corruption and violating sanctions, paying Ghanaian government officials a total of £470,000 in bribes in the 1980s and the 1990s. “The party also regrets the attempts to link the NDC to the case. For the record, the NDC wishes to categorically state that it has never received funds from Mabey & Johnson Company,” the statement said. The party also pointed out what it calls “inaccuracies” in the prosecution’s statement. “For instance, former First Lady H. E. Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings has never been a member of the NDC’s Finance Committee; Mr. Kwame Peprah (Former Finance Minister) has never been Chairman of the NDC’s Finance Committee. “In the case of Mr. Baba Kamara, he was a Deputy Treasurer and not the Treasurer of the NDC; neither was he a Political Overseer of the Ministry of Roads and Highways as claimed. Indeed, the position of political overseer has never existed.” The statement noted that the party is commitment to fighting corruption and promoting transparent and accountable governance. It therefore commended President Mills for his swift and decisive action in directing the Attorney General to investigate the matter. “The NDC is ready and willing to cooperate with government in its investigations,” it concluded. Meanwhile a former Attorney General in the Rawlings-led administration, Dr. Obed Asamoah, has refuted claims citing him as having taken bribes from the construction firm. However, Alhaji Abubakar Saddique, a former member of the NDC and a minister under the Kufuor government, has admitted taking money from the company but insisted it was not bribe. Story by Isaac Essel Myjoyonline.com/Ghana