Mormon Scandal: Kufuor Debunks Jake

The office of the President has confirmed that the trip by Jake Obetsebi Lamptey and his wife to Utah was not sanctioned by the President, neither did he have anything to do with what Jake did on that trip.

The seat of government was responding to ''Chronicle’s'' inquiries regarding the minister’s claim that he went on the trip to ascertain the worthiness of the President’s visit to Utah and he was given permission to travel on that trip.

After speaking to the President, officers told Chronicle that there were no records to prove that a report was sent to the President.

Another source at the Castle who appeared visibly worried about this incident said ''well maybe the man went to do his own thing and came and whispered into the ears of the President that there were investment opportunities in Utah, but it’s not that the President sent him or knew about his trip. Like you have been told, the President had nothing to do with that trip''.

In an earlier interview with Chronicle, the minister said ''I was asked to travel to Utah to ascertain whether, in my opinion, the visit of the President was worthwhile or not, and if it was worthwhile, what he would address. After the trip, I submitted a report to the President...the trip was official''.

Meanwhile, further investigations by Chronicle have revealed that the President did not attach that much importance to his trip to Utah and that the trip was not even listed on his official itinerary. This sparks further doubts on the claims of the Minister for Presidential Affairs that he was traveling in the name of the President’s visit, which came a year later.

''I was interested because of what I knew of Utah, I was tremendously impressed on a whole range of areas. As a direct result of the President’s visit to Utah, there is now a new data processing company opening in Ghana this month'' the minister told Chronicle in an interview witnessed by his Special Assistant, Mr. Ferdinand Ayim.

In that interview, the minister also told Chronicle’s investigative reporter, that he was following up on a major investor who is doing feasibility studies on the President’s Special Initiative on Cassava. He also noted that, but for the problems in the Gulf, the Utah investors would have arrived Ghana.

Contrary to claims by Chronicle, the minister said it was only when he was taken on tour with his family that he became impressed with the facilities at the university. Chronicle investigations has however revealed that long before his trip to Utah, the Minister called an Alumni of Brigham Young University and asked one alumnus about the university because he intended to send his daughter there.

This suggests that the decision by the minister to transfer his daughter to the university had been pre-arranged.

On his alleged interference in the approval of the building permit for the Mormons, the minister denied that he had anything to do with the approval of the permit, but admitted that he indeed facilitated the issue of resolving the conflict between the Mormons and the Osu stool who had challenged the Church’s claim to title of the land, and had obtained a stop order from the court.

Further probing by Chronicle revealed that the possession of a land title certificate was among the requirements (of obtaining a building permit) that the Accra Metropolitan Planning Committee was demanding from the Mormons.