President Akufo-Addo has said the claim that the CEO of Dream Realty and Inesfly, Saeed Fakhri paid a $100.000.00 to sit close to him at the Ghana Expatriates Business Awards last year is incomprehensible, noting that he will be shocked if that was the case.

According to him, Mr. Fakhri has been a client and friend of his for nearly four decades thus it is ludicrous for anyone to suggest he would have to pay to have access to him.

The awards ceremony generated massive controversy after it emerged that expatriate business moguls including Mr. Fakhri who participated in the ceremony were charged a whopping figure to sit close to the president.

“His father was a good friend of my own father and he himself has become a very close personal friend of mine. I know him and I eat in his house. He eats in my house. He has my telephone number. I have his. Even since I became president I have eaten in his house a couple of times. He has also been to my house,” President Akufo-Addo told journalists Wednesday at the Flag Staff House.

He added, “I will be amazed if somebody like that, Saeed Fakhri will think that he needs to pay money to come and sit next to me. This is a man who can get me on the telephone anytime of his choosing. Who sees me, who comes to my house and whose house I go to.”


The government through the Minister of Information, Mustapha Hamid, issued a statement exonerating the Ministry of any wrongdoing.

The Minority in parliament insisted there was wrongdoing leading to the establishment of the five-member committee.

The committee has so far heard evidence of some members of the minority who have alleged wrongdoing in the event as well as the trade ministry who insist there were no shady deals in the awards event.

On Monday, the committee took evidence from officials of the Millennium Excellence Awards.