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ASEPA fires OSP smear campaign against former President Mahama

The Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), has condemned the Office of the Special Prosecutor(OSP) over what it described as a smear campaign against the former President, John Dramani Mahama.

The OSP disclosed that former president John Dramani Mahama is the Government Official 1 (GO1) in the Airbus Scandal but cleared him of any wrongdoing.

Addressing the media at a press conference in Accra on Thursday, August 8, the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng also confirmed the brother of the former president, Samuel Mahama, as intermediary 5.

According to the OSP, its investigation found no evidence that former President Mahama was involved or played any role in the procurement and maintenance of the agency relationship between Airbus and Foster and his associates in respect of the purchase by the Government of Ghana of military transport aircraft from Airbus.

Against this backdrop, The Executive Director of ASEPA, Mensah Thompson in a statement has indicated that “This attempt to smear the former President of an unwarranted corruption tag flies in the face of ethical investigation processes, it undermines rules of law and the fundamental human rights of the persons involved.”

He further noted that “The OSP has a responsibility to rise above partisanship and needlessly politicization of the fight against corruption. This is the only way it can instil confidence and public trust in the work of the OSP.”

By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme

READ THE FULL STATEMENT FROM ASEPA HERE

Immediate Release

8th August, 2024

ASEPA RUBBISHES OSP’s EXONERATION OF AIRBUS

The Actions of the OSP in deciding to ascribe names to un-named persons in the Airbus scandal when the American and British investigations decided to out of ethical conduct conceal the identities of such individuals is extremely reckless and tantamount to needless politicization of the investigative process.

Even more so when the OSP’s own investigations confirm no act of wrongdoing on the part of any of those individuals, it is extremely political and of no normative value to name persons who have not committed any crime.

This attempt to smear the former President of an unwarranted corruption tag flies in the face of ethical investigation processes, it undermines rules of law and the fundamental human rights of the persons involved.

The OSP has a responsibility to rise above partisanship and needlessly politicization of the fight against corruption. This is the only way it can instil confidence and public trust in the work of the OSP.

This is extremely shameful and reprehensible!!

Signed
Mensah Thompson
Executive Director, ASEPA

News

Reconstruction of Sunyani-Techiman-Wenchi-Wa-Hamile Road Corridor to Begin Under “Big Push” Initiative

The reconstruction of the Sunyani-Techiman-Wenchi-Wa-Hamile road corridor is set to begin in the third quarter of this year as part of the government’s “Big Push” initiative,

Kwame Agbodza, the Minister for Roads and Highways, has announced.

To this end, the Minister has directed the Ghana Highways Authority to conduct engineering studies and designs for sections of the corridor that are not currently under construction, in preparation for the upcoming work.

“This entire corridor, all the way to Hamle, is part of the ‘Big Push’ initiative. It is one of the “Big Push” projects we aim to award in June this year. Therefore, those involved in the studies and designs need to expedite their work. We don’t have enough time,” he stated.

Mr. Agbodza made these remarks this morning in Sunyani, at the start of a three-day inspection tour of the Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, and Western Regions.

The Minister indicated that government is aware of the socio-economic importance of roads towards national development, which is why road infrastructure development is being prioritized despite the financial constraints facing the country.

“No matter what we want to achieve—whether in farming, education, or healthcare—roads are critical. Our economic development cannot take shape if we do not address the challenges in the road sector,” he stressed.

Earlier, Me. Agbodza and his team of Engineers inspected the 10.20km Terchire bypass located off the Kumasi-Sunyani Highway constructed by Newmont Ghana.

During the tour, Hon. Agbodza is also expected to inspect several other road projects, including the reconstruction of the Jinijini-Sampa Road, the Tepa-Goso road, the Sefwi Wiawso town roads, the reconstruction of the Tarkwa-Agona Nkwanta road, the PTC Interchange project, and the dualization of the Takoradi-Agona Junction Road.

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Mahama assents to Acts abolishing e-levy, betting tax and others

President John Dramani Mahama has fulfilled a key campaign promise by assenting to a set of acts that abolish the betting tax, e-Levy, and emissions tax, among others.

The signing, which has just been completed, in his office marks a major step in his administration’s efforts to reduce the financial burden on Ghanaians and drive economic growth.

The removal of these taxes was a central promise in the NDC’s manifesto aimed at easing the cost of living and encouraging business expansion.

Parliament on Wednesday, March 26, passed a bill to abolish the controversial Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy).

The repeal of the E-Levy has been widely welcomed by Ghanaians, who strongly opposed the tax.

The levy, which was introduced in 2022 by the previous New Patriotic Party administration, imposed a 1.5% tax on electronic transactions, including mobile money transfers, bank transfers, and online payments.

Since its introduction, there have been protests and public outcry, with critics arguing that it disproportionately affected low-income earners and the unbanked population.

Source: Myjoyonline.com