General News of Thursday, 26 May 2005

Source: jFm

Hotel Kufuor: Anti-Corruption Coalition Wants Enquiries

The Chairman of the Ghana Anti-corruption coalition, Reverend Dr. Fred Deegbe has urged President Kufuor to come clean on the controversial purchase of a property next door to his residence.

Rev. Deegbe says this is the only way that the truth of the matter can be ascertained.

The President's son, Chief Kufuor has purchased a property close to his father's Airport West Residence but this has generated a lot of controversy. The latest twist to the matter is an allegation that the Junior Kufuor fronted for his father.

Speaking to the press, Reverend Deegbe says if the President fails to intervene; the burden will then fall on parliament to set up a bi-partisan Independent Committee to investigate the matter. "By partisan enquiry, whether banks were put together, whether it is the President who bought it or his son who bought it, where they got the money from, whether undue pressure was put on somebody to sell the hotel and whether the state security is at stake? I mean there are a lot of questions," he says.

Rev Deegbe sees nothing wrong with the sitting of the hotel in question. "We are in an era where people are supposed to do business and what is wrong with sitting a hotel there. I think Parliament should be able to do a good job with this. It should be discussing this; they should be able to put together a committee to do this. It could involve the judiciary," he says.