Bribery allegations leveled against President John Mahama in connection with his acceptance of a Ford Expedition gift from a Burkinabe contractor have been “dismissed”by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ),
which was petitioned by the youth wing of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) to probe the matter.
In a 78-page report, CHRAJ said its investigations showed that Mr Mahama was not bribed with the SUV. It also said Mr Mahama’s acceptance of the gift did not amount to conflict of interest. CHRAJ, however, said Mr Mahama violated the Gift Policy under the Code of Conduct.
Mr Djibril Kanazoe received some contracts from the Government of Ghana purportedly as a result of the car gift.
The Government has consistently denied that the contracts were awarded to Mr Kanazoe as a result of the car gift. They also argued that Mr Mahama had the SUV added to the pool of cars at the presidency and did not use it for his personal benefit, thus, allegations of bribery and conflict interest hurled at him by opposition parties and anti-graft bodies were untenable.
CHRAJ, in its report, as quoted by Graphic Online, said “full or further investigations into the allegations are not warranted. The allegations, therefore, are hereby dismissed.”
President John Dramani Mahama contravened the gift policy with regards to his decision to accept a Ford vehicle gift from a Burkinabe contractor, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has concluded.
According to CHRAJ, it was satisfied that the gift in question formed part of gifts prohibited under the Gift Policy under the Code of Conduct and that although the evidence showed that President Mahama subsequently surrendered the gift to the State, the action nonetheless contravened the Gift Policy.
That notwithstanding, the commission has also concluded that the President’s action did not amount to accepting a bribe.
This is because, upon evidence, the President submitted the Ford Expedition gift from the Burkinabe contractor, Mr Djibril Freres Kanazoe, to the state.
CHRAJ, however, also established that the President was not culpable of conflict of interest, bribery or fraud in relation to the manner in which the vehicle was given to him.
A 78-page extensive decision by CHRAJ on the matter, a copy of which was available to Graphic Online, covered the genesis of the saga from the time the story was aired by Joy FM in June this year, to the various media publications, the subsequent petitions by individuals and groups, and the in-depth investigations by CHRAJ, which included the review of audio and video footages and various extensive interviews with ministers and public servants.
It also included recommendations with the Commission concluding that “full or further investigations into the allegations are not warranted. The allegations therefore, are hereby dismissed”.
Source: Graphic Online
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