Ghana's Corruption: Storm over Jerry Rawlings' cash’

Interesting revelations are beginning to unfold hours after the lid covering an alleged nine-month secret ‘deal’ between former President Jerry John Rawlings and Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, Governor of the Rivers State of Nigeria, involving some $3.5 million dollars, was blown off. advertisement While Rawlings’ spokesman, Kofi Adams, is jumping over the roof in a lame attempt to rubbish the story, DAILY GUIDE can say from deep-throat sources in Nigeria that contrary to his claims, his boss and the governor had met more than twice. In his usual element, the glaringly disarmed Adams went into tantrums, screaming, ‘Stupid! Nonsense!! Baloney!!!’, without giving any tangible explanation for his boss’ alleged involvement in the multi-million-dollar scandal. Kofi Adams, who earlier suggested the story was a plot by DAILY GUIDE and The Chronicle to smear the former president, was virtually humiliated when the original editor of the story in Nigeria called into Citi Fm’s Eye Witness News yesterday to defend his story. According to Ude Jackson, editor of www.pointblanknews.com , video clips and still pictures in his possession are strong evidence that Rawlings and Amaechi have been close pals for a long time. Adams again displayed his ignorance with regard to internet usage when he insisted that the website that carried the story was now under construction. Jackson told Citi Fm that the website had been fully functional for over two years and he was a journalist of 10 years’ standing with credible sources for his stories. DAILY GUIDE is also reliably informed that, about three months before Ghana’s December 2008 general elections, Governor Amaechi had discreetly flown into the country to ostensibly deny to then President John Agyekum Kufuor, allegations that he was bankrolling the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the country’s largest opposition political party at the time. This was after ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo had reportedly queried Amaechi over information that he was flirting with and meddling in the politics of Ghana. But some nine months after vehemently denying the allegations, the governor was stripped naked over the weekend, in the on-line publication from the oil-rich country. Before his secret trip as governor to meet Kufuor, Amaechi was for several months a refugee in Ghana when he was caught in a political turmoil in his native Rivers State during the gubernatorial race. Governor Amaechi, who is not new to controversies, even when he presided over a corrupt House of Assembly during the Governorship of Mr. Peter Odili, had a problem with his party in 2007, ran to Ghana, and for several months, lodged at the Fiesta Royale (Formerly Cresta Royale) Hotel at Dzorwulu in Accra. After being entangled in some financial deals, for which reason his party was hesitant in presenting him as its gubernatorial candidate, he fled to Ghana so he could pursue the matter from Accra. DAILY GUIDE can say that while in Accra, Amaechi flew into Port Harcourt to fight his legal battles through London and returned to his Fiesta Royale base through the same route. The last time the paper spotted him in Ghana was on Monday, 23rd February 2009, when the British High Commission held a programme at the La Palm Royal Hotel in Accra. advertisement The governor is currently in the middle of a controversy over how his administration misappropriated funds totaling over Five Hundred Billion Naira ($3.6billion) in the last two years. Media reports say out of the sum, a whopping Four Hundred Million Naira ($3.5 million) was allegedly transferred to facilitate the election in Ghana. According to the publication, the money was given to the NDC founder and former Ghanaian President, Jerry Rawlings, through one Nyeson Wike, a special aide to Governor Amaechi, and that the money accounted for the victory of President John Atta Mills in the historic Ghana election. “Former Ghanaian dictator, Flight Lt. Jerry John Rawlings (Retired) has been identified as the alleged conduit through which the huge sums were transferred to the ruling party in Ghana.Rawlings has been a regular visitor to Rivers State. Another individual identified as a courier for Governor Amaechi is one Nyeson Wike, an aide to Amaechi”, it said. The publication said Amaechi had invested over N1 Billion in selected companies in Ghana, in a manner designed to outwit the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of his home country, which had been investigating his administration for money laundering. Wike, who allegedly operates an account with a top bank in Port Harcourt, was said to have ran errands for Amaechi mostly in Ghana and other countries the Governor had interest in. Meanwhile, DAILY GUIDE has seen heaps of documentary and pictorial evidences, suggesting that the former president and the governor are more than mere pals. Interestingly, some NDC gurus are fuming that such huge monies were raked in on behalf of the party, and Professor Mills had to struggle to win the election by a mere 40,000 votes. By Bennett Akuaku