By A. A. Yayra
The former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, Hon P C Appiah Ofori has reaffirmed the underhand dealings leading to the approval of the sale of the Ghana Telecom to Vodafone Holdings BV by legislators, but this time said both sides of the august House present on the day of the voting benefitted from a $5000 bribe.
In an apparent drift from his earlier position that NPP MPs present in chamber that day took the hefty booty to vote in favor of the sale, the self-professed anti-corruption campaigner now has included NDC MPs present in the House on the day of the voting in his list of beneficiaries of the $5000 bribe.
Obviously, dragging the integrity of the whole institution of Parliament into question, the former MP stated that he is only stating the obvious and will be ready to prove it before any committee just like he did before the committee the late President Mills setup to investigate the matter.
Reacting to calls by some youth groups of NPP for his dismissal for his sporadic attacks on the party on an Accra based radio station, Radio Gold; the former legislator boldly stated that no one can walk him out of the party for saying the obvious.
?Why? Is it not true that all the MPs present in the chamber on day for the voting for the Vodafone deal were paid $5000? Has anybody come out to disapprove what I said? What I said was a statement of fact, it was a fact, so now if I?m saying even cassava farmers would not vote for Alan Kyerematen because he mismanaged the Presidential Special Initiative, is that one not also true? Do I have to be sacked for saying the truth?? P C AppiahOfori asked rhetorically.
Not even an intervention from the host, Alhassan Suhuyini that he was drifting away from his earlier position could prompt the former Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa MP to back down on his new allegation as he reaffirmed ?I?m saying all the MPs present in the chamber that day took $5000 bribe to make sure the deal went through, go and ask Doe Adjaho, who is now the speaker.?
In 2009, Mr. Appiah Ofori alleged that his colleagues in the 2008 Parliament received $5,000 each for voting for the Vodafone deal. He said he picked up information that members of the then Majority side had received the amount after voting in favor of the agreement between Vodafone UK and the Government of Ghana.
Later, taking his turn at an inter-ministerial committee appointed by the late President Mills to review the deal, Mr Appiah-Ofori maintained the monies were indeed paid to the members through the leadership of the House.
He revealed to the committee that he picked up the information from the then MP for Ave-Avenor, Doe Adjaho, and subsequently had it corroborated by another member of the House, Ofori Kragu, MP for Bosome Freho that indeed, the NPP MPs took the booty.
But four years down the line, Mr Appiah Ofori has now included NDC MPs in the 2008 Parliament to his list of beneficiaries of the $5000 Vodafone bribe.
When contacted yesterday for further briefing on his new position, the former Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa MP yelled on the phone ?Ahhhba?what is wrong with you people, I have said this several times that the MPs present in the chamber that day took $5000 as bribe.?
Mr. Appiah Ofori?s latest allegations comes at the time NPP MPs in Parliament are questioning the sale of Merchant Bank to Fortiz Private Equity Fund Limited, saying it is shrouded in secrecy and stinks of corruption.
The mystery surrounding the sale of Ghana Telecom to Vodafone by the ex-president Kufuor government is one that generates wild debate any time it comes up as it is said that as of the time the 70 percent shares of the only Ghanaian telecom company was sold for $ 900 million to Vodafone, a South African firm, Telkom SA also offered $1.5 million for same shares but was ignored, up from its previous offer of $947m for 66.7%.
According to reports, the Kufuor government said Telkom SA came in late and that accounted for the then administration?s decision to choose Vodafone?s $ 900 million over the latter?s $ 1.5 billion for 70 percent shares in Ghana telecom.
Meanwhile, and unknown to many Ghanaians, after accepting $ 900 million from Vodafone, the Kufuor administration had to ring fence, or pay for Ghana Telecom?s debt of $400 million, which in actual sense brought the purchase price of GT to only $ 500 million.
In the heat of the transaction, it emerged that; contrary to the country?s divestiture laws, former President Kufuor single-handedly negotiated the sale price of government?s 70% share in Ghana Telecom to Vadafone.
He was alleged to have held a secret meeting in Accra on November 9, 2007 with Vodafone?s CEO, Arun Sari, the British Deputy High Commissioner, Menna Rawlings and James Cribb, head of UL Trade and Investment to negotiate the deal and to ensure that the deal taste parliamentary approval.
It was also clearly established as at that time that though Vodafone?s bid for the 70 shares in GT was one of the earlier eleven rejected bids in September, 2007 by the Kufuor government appointed transaction advisors, Ecobank Development Corporations, the then government nevertheless, under mysterious reasons went ahead with the transaction.
This subsequently led the NPP government to abruptly terminate its contract with the transaction advisors, Ecobank Development Corporations on January 24th, 2008.
Source:?The Al-Hajj newspaper
