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Release
AFG
December 11, 2013
JOHN MAHAMA & FAMILY CREATE, LOOT
& SHARE
Ladies & gentlemen of the press, Good
morning!
The Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) is much
worried about the sudden crave for public assets by the
president and his family. We are sadden by the absolute
use of power, giving way to the gargantuan indulgence of
his family in what looks like, a well-orchestrated
attempt by the Mahama’s to enrich themselves once more,
by acquiring a well treasured asset of the people of
Ghana.
Mr. President, AFAG in 2012 waged a campaigned against
the sale of Merchant Bank to Rand Bank of South Africa
ostensibly because of Ibrahim Mahama’s indebtedness.
Indeed;
• It was unclear why the then MD of Merchant Bank
granted such a loan unilaterally in excess of what his
office was permitted.
• Additionally, AFAG wanted to ascertain the truth or
otherwise on whether the President benefited from this
loan prior the 2008 elections and hence the inability
for the Merchant Bank to honor the Bank of Ghana’s 60
million re-capitalization deposit means it must be sold.
• AFAG wondered the role of the then MD, Blaise Mankwa,
in the office of President Mahama when he was a VEEP.
Mr. President, if AFAG knew your lawyer (Tony Lithur),
who doubles up to be the lawyer for Engineers & Planners
(your brother’s firm) and Fortiz equity fund limited
will be submitting a petition to you, that would have
resulted in your office intervening in this high level
corruption, we would have endorsed the previous sale of
Merchant bank to First Rand Bank.
THE CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
• Mr. President, why did your brother stop paying back
his loan right after the 2008 victory of the NDC
• Mr. President, did you appoint the then MD who single
handedly approved of a loan beyond the limit of his
office to Ibrahim Mahama in your office, then as a VEEP?
• Mr. President, did your action restrain the Merchant
Bank board in the interest of your brother Ibrahim
Mahama towards the current sale to Fortiz?
• Mr. President are you not worried at all that, your
lawyer, Tony Lithur, is the lawyer for E&P and also
Fortiz, the ghost company buying a very treasured asset
of the people of Ghana?
• Mr. President, First Rand Bank is the 2nd largest bank
in South Africa. Fortiz is a ghost company without any
working history in Ghana.
• Mr. President, First Rand bank through the Rand
Merchant Bank has over 600 million investment in
Ghanaian infrastructure and 1.6 billion USD in Nigeria,
what of Fortiz the ghost bank?
• Mr. President First Rand Bank has over 100 years
banking history in South Africa, what of the ghost
company Fortiz which was formed in June 2013.
• Mr. President, First Rand Bank proposed to acquire 75%
shares in Merchant Bank at 91 million USD. Fortiz, the
ghost company with a stated capital of 2 million USD
proposed 41 million USD for 90% shares.
TUC
The TUC is well represented by four persons on the board
of SSNIT. It’s representatives Mr.Kofi Asamoah(Secretary
General), Mr. Robertson Allotey, Mr.Dian Okine and Mr.
Amo Dako have gone in to do business as usual. AFAG
never heard of TUC’s position on this sale. It is
worrying that, men in trust get easily compromised. The
TUC of yester years is never the same. No wonder workers
go on pension to become poor and abandoned. A lot of
assets of workers have been sold by SSNIT under this
corrupt NDC regime. What is most worrying is the sale of
TRUST hospital which currently rejects NHIS because it
has been privatized. How sad is it to see worker’s
representatives’ look on to the continual
marginalization of worker interest.
The TUC must simply get men who have the interest of
workers at heart. This should be so because their
current leadership are just businessmen on the job and
very greedy. Once they are made comfortable, they
careless about the rest. What a shame!
TONY LITHUR
AFAG finds this gentleman an absolute disgrace to the
legal profession. This is based on the complete
devaluation of his moral conscience. One should not be a
lawyer to see to the open conflict of interest
surrounding this much compromised lawyer. How on earth
can you be the lawyer to the President, his brother
Ibrahim Mahama, the ghost company Fortiz, and at the
same time not seeing anything wrong with submitting a
petition to the President asking him to wave Ibrahim
Mahama’s debt to Merchant Bank. This wicked act against
the people of Ghana by Tony Lithur will never escape the
vengeance by the people at the right time.
AFAG POSITION
Mr. President you are trivializing the politics of this
country. Obviously, you are salving the conscience of
your family to get rich and powerful, while you conceal
the poor plight of the ordinary Ghanaian. AFAG is not
against venture capitalism, however, we are opposed to
the clandestine attempts by you, your family and cronies
to amass wealth at the expense of the common weal.
Mr. President the sale of Merchant Bank to Fortiz is
untenable. We advise you and your family men to stay
away from public goods. One must get rich and powerful,
but it is AFAG’s belief that, this must not be at the
expense of equitable distribution of state resources.
CONCLUSION
• Immediately Mr. President, we demand a halt to any
further deliberations over the sale of Merchant Bank
Ghana Ltd to Fortiz equity fund ltd.
• Mr. President, we want you to relieve Mr. Ernest
Thompson and Dr. Henry Wampah from the positions of
chief executive officer;SSNIT and Governorship of Bank
of Ghana respectively.
• AFAG call on the General Legal Council to put Tony
Lithur to order.
• Mr. President, what we need now is a public enquiry
into the sale of Merchant Bank
God save Ghana
Signed
Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie
Davis Opoku Ansah
Henry Haruna Asante
Hon. James Apeatu Ankrah
Williams Agyei
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