General News of Tuesday, 7 March 2017

Source: The aL-hAJJ

Akufo-Addo goes after Ibrahim, Lordina Mahama with EOCO

Lordina Mahama in an enhanced photo with Ibrahim Mahama, brother of ex-President Mahama Lordina Mahama in an enhanced photo with Ibrahim Mahama, brother of ex-President Mahama

Despite his pledge “to do right to all manner of people without ill will or malice…” and to uphold rule of law, President Akufo-Addo, in less than two months in office has aggressively been shopping for “evidence” to nail family members and associates of immediate past President, Mr John Dramani Mahama.

Unrelenting in his determination to see to the disgrace of his predecessor whose administration he has been touting as the worse thing ever to happen to Ghana, the President, The aL-hAJJ’s ongoing investigations have uncovered, has tasked the various state intelligence agencies to conduct forensic investigations into business activities of some persons with links to the former first family.

Documents in the possession of this paper details how the Akufo-Addo government has profiled some appointees of the Mahama administration, members of his family and the ex-president’s supposed friends to be investigated by National Security, the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) and other security and intelligence agencies.

The aL-hAJJ last week reported how President Akufo-Addo and his advisers are plotting to terrorize and disgrace immediate past President, John Mahama; using state machinery to persecute persons linked to him and his family.

Since being sworn into office as President, close pal and financier of Nana Akufo-Addo’s campaign, who is also NPP MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong has intensified his unproven allegations of Mr Ibrahim Mahama’s fraudulent deals during the NDC era in the media against.

A letter currently in the possession of The aL-hAJJ, from EOCO and written to SSNIT requests the pension fund administrator to furnish it (EOCO) with some information on some companies suspected to be fronting for former first lady, Mrs Lordina Mahama and the former President’s brother, Mr Ibrahim Mahama and his company, Engineers & Planners.

The former first lady, who turned 54 yesterday, and Mr Ibrahim Mahama have long been the envy and target of Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP even in opposition as the duo are seen as the backbone of former President Mahama.

Taking a dig at Ex-President Mahama at an NPP fundraising in the Ashanti Region on January 16, 2016, Mr. Akufo Addo had this to say; “My wife will not be in charge of the distribution of contracts in this country.”

“She will never distribute contracts in the country,” adding; “I won’t operate a family and friends government in Ghana and I can assure that every person in the country will have his fair share of the national cake.”

Angrily dismissing reports making rounds on social media platforms that then President Mahama’s brother, Ibrahim Mahama was footing his medical bills, Nana Akufo Addo, then, flagbearer of the NPP, in a statement said “…for the avoidance of doubt, we want to state that Ibrahim Mahama does not pay Nana Akufo-Addo’s medical bills, let alone pay them on a monthly basis. Mr. Ibrahim Mahama makes no contribution of any sort whatsoever to Akufo-Addo. Again, Mr. Ibrahim Mahama has not donated any vehicles to the NPP flagbearer or to his wife.”

The EOCO letter dated February 27, 2017 and signed by its acting Executive Director, ACP (Rtd) KK Amoah requested the Director General of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to furnish the spy agency with “SSNIT file” of Mr Ibrahim Mahama’s company, Engineers and Planners to “facilitate ongoing investigations”.

The letter also instructed the Director General of SSNIT to furnish EOCO with all contract documents between SSNIT and two other private companies, Perfect Business Systems and Pro-Vision Consulting Limited before March 8, 2017.

The Akufo-Addo government, sources in government told this paper, included Perfect Business Systems and Pro-Vision Consulting Limited in the list of companies to be “examined because it is suspected that the two companies have ties with Lordina Mahama.”

Both Perfect Business Systems (a subsidiary of Perfect Business Services Limited) and Pro-Vision Consulting Limited are IT software companies incorporated in Ghana in 1996 and 1995 respectively, and have been providing, among others, IT services to several private and state owned companies including SSNIT.

Another government source told The aL-hAJJ that “both Ibrahim Mahama and Lordina are among some of the targets of this government…It is a way to get President Mahama humiliated.

The EOCO letter to SSNIT titled: “Request for Information and Production of Documents Pursuant to section 19 of the Economic and Organized Crime Office Act, 2010 (Act 804)” our source disclosed; was part of the government’s agenda of evidence gathering to implicate them.”

The Letter reads: “We would be grateful if you could furnish this Office with the following documents to facilitate ongoing investigation:

1. All contract documents between SSNIT and Perfect Business Systems including all Change Requests and Services Level Agreements (SLA) for the provision of your Operations Business Suite (OBS) software

2. All contract documents between SSNIT and Pro-Vision Consulting Limited including all Change Requests and Service Level Agreements (SLA) for the provision of all Oracle-based software.

3. Records of all payments made by SSNIT to Prefect Business Systems and Pro-Vision Consulting Limited on all legacy and currently used systems.

4. SSNIT file of E&P Company Limited.

Your response is kindly expected by March 8, 2017 We appreciate your continuing support.”

Since his appointment last month, the new EOCO boss, on the instructions of President Akufo-Addo, according to insiders, has been tasked to investigate appointees and close associates of former President Mahama. The agency in some instances is alleged planting stories in pro-NPP tabloids over invitations or impending invitation; to be extended to appointees of the former NDC administration, allies and acquaintances of former President John Mahama.

ACP (Rtd) KK Amoah, who is a retired police officer, is also on record to have written letters to other state agencies including State Transport Corporation to furnish it with valuation documents involving purchase of state vehicles by former EOCO boss, Mr Kweku Mortey among others.

The spy agency together with National Security, The aL-hAJJ has gathered, are also reviewing all contracts and vehicles purchased by the Ministry of Transport for its agencies under Madam Dzifa Ativor’s watch in a bid to gather enough evidence for her prosecution.

Few weeks ago, the spy agency, in its bid to disgrace President Mahama, caused to be published in NPP acting National Chairman’s paper, Daily Guide, a supposed invitation of some close associates of the former President.

Among those purported to have been invited by the ACP Amoah-led EOCO, according to the pro-NPP media house included; Ali Seidu, Seidu Agongo, Kofi Job and Ibrahim Mahama, all associates and family member of President John Mahama.

According to the report, they were invited in connection with alleged fraudulent deals at COCOBOD under the tenure of its immediate past Chief Executive, Dr. Stephen Opuni. Opuni himself has been placed under investigation whiles his assets and bank accounts have been frozen by EOCO.

The latest move by EOCO comes less than a week after The aL-hAJJ reported in its last edition plot by President Akufo-Addo and his advisers to disgrace former President Mahama.

“The President has tasked EOCO to gather enough evidence on persons linked to John Mahama who benefitted from government contracts during his tenure in office. This is to shop for evidence to prosecute them, “a source in government told this paper.

State security agencies, the source told The aL-hAJJ, are to “investigate the operations of companies of members of John Mahama’s family and friends, with the aim of gathering evidence to prosecute them.”

The source added “Ibrahim Mahama, in particular, is high on the agenda. Aside SSNIT, other institutions have been asked to submit documents on his transactions with government executed during his brother’s tenure. They are seeking to unearth if monies were wrongfully paid to his company.”

What is however not clear is if EOCO’s secret investigation of the E&P CEO is at the instigation of the President’s right hand man, Hon Kennedy Agyapong, who has variously threatened to get Mr Ibrahim Mahama jailed and his brother, Mr John Mahama and his family disgraced.