The flag bearer of the Convention People's Party (CPP), Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, is unhappy that people with the legal responsibility of speaking about the allegations made against him by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) are quiet while those with political motives have a field's day.
"Why is it that those who have a legal job to do, such as the Attorney-General, are not speaking on the subject matter?" he asked, and described the allegations as dead.
He maintained that the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) report implicating him for financial irregularities, among others, had no merit and would not stand the test of time.
He said since 1996 the Attorney-General's Office had Dr Obed Yao Asamoah, Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Papa Owusu Ankoma, Mr Ayikoi Otoo and Mr Joe Ghartey as substantive ministers and in between that Parliament had also had the opportunity to go into the facts of the case.
"In all of these, nobody has said that he has examined the SFO report and found me guilty or that I have a case to answer," be pointed out.
He further pointed out that in 1996 when the SFO matter came up, he personally wrote to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Professor J.E.A. Mills was then the Commissioner but he had no response from them.
"So far as I am concerned, the SFO thing is a matter which died in 1996 and no matter how some people want to resurrect it, it will not gain light; it is dead", he told the Daily Graphic.
Throwing light on the matter, he said people were doing this for mere political reasons.
"For 12 years nothing had come up and it is only when people believe that I am about to get into a position of some sort that they come up with these allegations but it will not work", he stated.
"Let me also tell you that it is not a legal matter I am dealing with, which should compel me to appear in a court of law. I want Ghanaians and the CPP fraternity to be rest assured that there is no wrongdoing on my part and we should stay focused."
"My opponents accuse me of not being a Ghanaian citizen but let me say that I never renounced my Ghanaian citizenship," he explained.
He said that he had lived and worked in the US with a permanent resident visa, otherwise referred to as Green Card.
"Another allegation was that I evaded taxes, which is also not true because every year I pay my taxes to both the US and the Ghana governments."
"Indeed, it is these tax returns that I took to Parliament during my vetting to be a minister," he stated.
He said that he had also not involved himself in any illegal transfers of money and that any monies paid to him were paid through official sources with approval from the State Enterprises Commission and the Ministry of Finance using World Bank guidelines and criteria.
"So there is no wrongdoing there; anything else anybody is saying is neither here nor there,” he stated.
"I feel saddened for our people on the ground working so hard for the party and this sort of thing is the last thing anyone of us wanted to happen, particularly to people who say that they are of the CPP stock," he said.
"I want our people to be assured that they are not working in vain; they should go ahead and work because there is victory at the end," he said.
Source: Daily Graphic
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