Former President of Ghana and founder of the opposition NDC, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings has sent a direct reply to New Patriotic Party MP Kennedy Agyapong, over the former’s alleged shielding of the ‘dubious’ business interest of the CEO and Chairman of Air Cargo Company at the Kotoka International Airport.

Brushing off any business links alleged between himself and his wife on one hand and Traboulsi Marwan on the other, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings said Traboulsi was “brilliant” and “efficient”.

In an address delivered at a Town Hall meeting of cadres and NDC activists at the Arts Centre in Accra on Saturday, Mr. Rawlings said:

“I will defend him any day as one of the most efficient and brilliant minds that I have come across. He was one of the first to go into large-scale farming and the export of pineapples during the revolution. Others did the same but his operations were so efficient that he was doing much better than some of the others. He later secured an aircraft that not only exported his produce but that of other farmers.”

He gave a brief background of how Traboulsi was ‘made’:

“Traboulsi… left farming and diversified into cargo handling where his efficiency won him a bid to manage cargo handling at the airport.

“His efficiency level was so high we could beat South Africa by 30 minutes in cargo handling operations. Today some want to spoil the names of good people just like we do in our party,” the former President stated.

Background

MYNEWSGH.com yesterday reported the 5-term Assin Central MP as having accused the former President and his wife of using their influence to shield Traboulsi Marwan’s ‘dubious’ airport cargo contract from being reviewed, as the said contract is a rip-off of the republic of Ghana and has been running since July 2012 when it was signed. Mr Agyapong avers that Traboulsi Marwan is abusing the said contract with national security officials at the airport looking on helplessly because of the ‘powers’ behind Traboulsi.

“He (Traboulsi Marwan) doesn’t even allow National Security to enter his compound …. And we (NPP) are also allowing it to continue because he is Ex President Rawlings close friend”, he said on Oman FM Thursday.

Mr Kennedy Agyapong noted that Mr Rawlings wouldn’t have allowed such a contract if it was under his own government.

“He (Traboulsi) is Rawlings’ crony, and so what? Rawlings My foot!”, he had thundered.

President Akufo-Addo told to stay off

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was also ‘warned’ by Honourable Kennedy Agyapong not to attempt to intervene on behalf of former President John Rawlings or his alleged ‘crony’ in the matter of the operations of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) Air Cargo Center contract in the hands of Traboulsi Marwan.

“I respect the President very much, but if he gets himself involved in this issue, I will put out every detail into the public domain!”, he vowed.