In Pit Of Lies Over US$2 Million Miniter's Houses

By Larry Dogbey

The Herald investigations into claims by Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, that Deputy Minister for Local Government, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, has three luxurious houses at a cost of US$2 million in East Legon-Accra is turning out to be one of his many vicious and unfounded lies.

Speaking in London last week, at a New Patriotic Party (NPP) event, Mr. Agyepong who is the Member of Parliament for Assin North, repeated his allegation that the Deputy Minister had paid almost $2 million for three adjoining buildings at the upscale East Legon area from funds accruing from corruption because he could not have bought them from his salary as a minister.

The houses have been painted blue, dark brown and pink, and were paid for with bag-loads of money under the cover of darkness, he alleged.

But The Herald’s probe revealed that the said houses in question are separately owned by Ecobank Ghana Limited, one Mawuli, a businessman and another man whose nickname is given as Risky, and also said to be a businessman.

Ecobank together with the two individuals bought the houses three to four years ago, from an Estate Developer, who goes by the name Charles, and runs a company called CODCO Real Estates Limited, located at the Adjiriganor-Estate Legon.

The houses were sold out for US$350,000. Out of the three houses, only one is presently not occupied as the owner, Risky, is reselling it due to some financial challenges.

Risky, has a “For Sale” notice pasted at the gate of his house with telephone numbers 0242885856, 0242306240, 0279603162 on it for interested buyers to call for a tour inside the rooms.

A middle-aged man, who gave his name as Nana, and one of the owners of the houses built by CODCO, tell The Herald, on a visit to the area yesterday, that he knows all the owners of the said houses in question, but none of them is a Deputy Minister, past or present.

Nana, who said he bought his house about five years ago from the Real Estate Company, pointed to another house opposite the three houses that is painted yellow, saying “that is owned by the Methodist Church, with one pastor by name Reverend Annor”, as its occupant.

Another house on the same lane, with the three houses, which Mr. Agyapong claims to have been bought by Mr. Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, is occupied by a certain Mr. Samba, who is said to have been the architect who designed houses for CODCO.

The gentleman, who appeared to be hearing the news of a Deputy Minister, buying the said houses for the first time, was disappointed that Mr. Agyapong, would put out such a blatant lie, since he (Ken), had for years, been a friend of the Real Estate Developer, and had many times expressed interests in purchasing some properties including houses and plots of land, put on sale by him.

Nana, who revealed that Charles, the owner of the Real Estates Company was on a trip abroad, expressed fears that he and his company might be the next target of Mr. Agyepong’s vicious lies, probably involving in a dubious arrangement with a government official.

A man in his forties, whom Nana introduced as the artisan who did the POP ceiling for the houses, looked visibly shocked at the claims of Mr. Agyapong, who has penchant for making claims and later apologizing because they turned out to be lies.

A security guard from Yutee Security Company told The Herald that one Madam Rosemary was presently the occupant of The Ecobank house. She was described as one of the senior officers with Ecobank Ghana Limited.

Calls to the phone numbers pasted on the building went unanswered. 0242306240, was answered by a lady, with a soothing voice, who said she had no knowledge of a house on sale at East Legon.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ankrah who doubles as the Campaign Coordinator for President John Mahama’s election 2012 campaign, has categorically denied allegations that he has purchased three plush houses at East Legon.

Speaking on “Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem” programme last Tuesday, Mr. Ankrah said he was at a loss as to why the NPP MP would make such allegations against him, especially when there was no bad blood between them.

The Deputy Local Government Minister said he had resisted the temptation to respond to the allegations even though his friends and members of his family had prevailed on him to clear his name.

“Those allegations are totally unfounded and untrue” he stated, insisting that although he has been living in East Legon for the past 20 years, he owns no such property there.

He said the allegations could be part of a grand scheme by the NPP to distract the NDC from its ongoing campaign, pointing out that the opposition party and Mr. Agyapong, in particular, had made several allegations against the NDC government and party in the past and later apologized because those allegations were clear fabrications.

The Deputy Minister assured all NDC faithful that the Mahama government was focused on delivering on its “Better Ghana Agenda” and warned the NPP to brace itself for a spirited campaign.

“Joshua Mahama is taking us to the Promised Land, and no man or devil can stop us,” he declared.

Mr. Agyapong, once suggested that “Joy FM” owner, Mr. Kwesi Twum, made fortunes from drug deals through a certain Jones in Bronx in the United States. He later had to publicly apologize to Mr. Twum over the claims when he (Twum) threatened a legal action.