Former President Rawlings has just presented an invoice of ?38 million to the government. This represents the cost of mounting barbed wires on the walls of his official residence in Accra. Rawlings’ Special Aide, Victor Smith said the work was necessary to strengthen the security of the former President “which is the responsibility of the State”.

He said the contractors presented the bill to him after completing the job, “but I told them I didn’t have the money to pay so they should go to the PWD or government”.

Victor Smith further disclosed that the nation’s security service has questioned why the former President didn’t open the contract for the installation of the barbed wires up for tender. But he justified their decision by saying that the job was done by a company that even the Accra Metropolitan Authority is known to have contracted to undertake some work for it.

Mr Smith noted that they have “been threatened and saw the barbed wires as part of protecting the former President”.

There has been controversy over the renovation works done on President Kufuor’s residence with public funds. But Victor Smith said there was a difference between the ?38m spent on the security at the former President’s house and the amount spent on Kufuor’s house. On Rawlings’ House, Smith said “it remains state property, if he dies today, he moves out”.