General News of Monday, 11 June 2007

Source: Daily Guide

MP Denies Scam Allegation Again

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Upper East Denkyira in the Central Region, Nana Amoakoh is fighting the battle of his life, as he reiterates his innocence in a $1million theft allegation leveled against him by a United States court.

At present, the court is pushing for his extradition.

The MP has been accused of stealing over $1 million from the account of his former employers, Fone-A-Car in Brooklyn, New York, in the United States.

Nana Amoakoh, also known as Augustine Asiedu, former president of a limousine service company in New York, together with three others, has been indicted on charges of helping to loot the business of more than $1 million and using much of that for a successful political campaign.

However, in a follow-up interview with DAILY GUIDE on Saturday, the Upper East Denkyira MP maintained his innocence, wondering how he could have used $1million to finance a parliamentary election.

“Do you know what $1 million means?” he asked.

According to him, how could he have spent that amount of money when he was not contesting a presidential election.

Though Nana Amoakoh conceded he worked with the auto firm for 15 years, he said he never misconducted himself until he voluntarily resigned in 2005 after his elected to serve his constituents in Parliament.

The unassuming MP stated that his tenure was thoroughly audited, wondering why the persecution now. He did not rule out insiders as the source of allegations of fraud.

The back-bencher MP denied also allegation that he transferred $30,000 to his girl friend, a certain Sebastina Paul, who has also been indicted.

The woman in question, a native of Grenada, Nana Amoakoh said, had never been his girl friend, except that they did “susu” together.

He told Daily Guide that he would come out at the appropriate time to formally react to the allegations, pointing out he has to follow the Parliamentary procedure in doing so.

However the spokeswoman for the US court, Jennifer Kushner, said the court would file extradition requests through the US Department of Justice.

The US has an extradition treaty with Ghana, but it is strongly doubtful if an MP could be extradited, especially since MPs enjoy immunity.