In 2010, the Minister for Foreign Affairs under the former president John Agyekum Kufuor regime, Akwasi Osei-Adjei stated that he did not order the payments of £1,298,210.83 and £1,114,206.13 on December 2 and 31, 2008 respectively to Buck Press Limited as second and third part payments of the biometric passports contract.

Mr. Adjei made the statement in a phone interview with the Daily Post, following a piece of gathered information by the paper’s intelligence that the payments were made on the aforementioned dates to Buck Press Ltd by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

His confirmation that he did not order those payments to be made to Buck Press Ltd. clearly indicated that the state had been duped of approximately £2.4 million or GHC 52.8 billion by somebody or group of persons.

However, it is important to note that Mr. Adjei was still the Foreign Minister by December 31, 2008, which meant no payments could have been made by his Ministry to Buck Press Ltd without his approval.

Read the original story published by GhanaWeb on February 18, 2010

Akwasi Osei-Adjei, Minister for Foreign Affairs under the Kufuor regime has confirmed to the Daily Post that he did not order the payments of £1,298,210.83 and £1,114,206.13 on December 2 and 31, 2008 respectively to Buck Press Limited as second and third part payments of the biometric passports contract.

The Former Minister confirmed this to the Daily Post last week in a phone interview. Yet, as this paper’s intelligence has gathered, the payments were made on the afore mentioned dates to Buck Press Ltd by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The implication of Akwasi Osei-Adjei’s confirmation that he did not order those payments to be made to Buck Press Ltd. is that the state has been duped to the time of approximately £2.4 million or ¢52.8 billion by somebody or group of persons. Osei-Adjei was still the Foreign Minister by December 31, 2008. No payments could therefore have been made by his Ministry to Buck Press Ltd without his approval.

Yet, documents sighted by the Daily Post indicated that payments in two installments totally approximately £2.4 billion were made to Buck Press Ltd. Sources within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs say the payments were made at the beginning of 2009 by senior officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the current government but back-dated to create the impression that it was authorized by Akwasi Osei-Adjei.

Yesterday evening, Daily Post sighted Kofi Buckman, CEO of Buck Press Ltd walking the corridors of the Castle, seat of the Presidency. We were unable to gather who he came to visit or what he came to do there at the time of going to press.

President Mills, according to credible sources, ordered investigations into the biometric contract with Buck Press Ltd. sometime ago. The committee which allegedly investigated the deal reported back that it was clean. What the President was not aware of was that some of the members of the committee did not have clean hands as far as the contract was concerned.

Meanwhile, Daily Post has also established that some of the top guns whose hands have been soiled by Buck Press are trying to get radio stations to ignore the story during their newspaper review programmes if the frontpage story concerns Buck Press and their stinking biometric passport contract.