CNT Loan is a fraud - Chinese Embassy Official

A source at the Chinese Embassy in Accra has revealed to the 'Ghana Palaver' that the entire CNT loan deal is a gargantuan fraud being perpetrated by a group of Hong Kong con-men and money launderers and their Ghanaians collaborators and urged the paper to carry on with its exposes.

The source, who spoke to 'Ghana Palaver' of condition of anonymity, was emphatic that the Chinese Ambassador was NOT part of the Chinese group that called on President Kufuor, and said the Embassy had raised serious objections with Finance Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo, for suggesting at his Press Conference that the Ambassador was part of the so-called CNT delegation that called on the President.

The source also revealed that the 'Memorandum of Understanding' (MOU) that was presented to Parliament was different from the real one intended for implementation, which is a secret one and would be the one to be used in the perpetration of the fraud.

This seems to confirm the suggestions in the 'Crusading Guide' about the existence of two critical letters, which were not made available to Parliament at the time of the CNT debate.

One of the letters, dated December 3rd 2003, from the CNTCI to the Minister of Finance, was published in the 'Crusading Guide of 25th-31st May 2004.

Excerpts from the other letter headed "Preliminary Letter of Offer Phase 01" dated December 15th 2003, also from the CNTCI to the Minister of Finance, had earlier been published in the 'Crusading Guide' of 18th-24th May 2004.

Our source at the Chinese Embassy urged us to pursue the matter of the CNT loan relentlessly, as it might help the Embassy staff itself identify some of the Chinese fraudsters who may not previously have come to their attention.

According to the Embassy source, 'Ghana Palaver's' initial expose took the Minister of Finance and his Chinese counterparts completely by surprise, as they were sure that having received the support of the NDC Group in Parliament, the whole thing had become a "done deal". "They never expected this body blow to come from the 'Ghana Palaver'", he stated, and said that accounted for their initial totally incoherent and incredulous reactions to the media attacks.

The Chinese Embassy source congratulated 'Ghana Palaver' and revealed that within the diplomatic circles in Ghana, 'Ghana Palaver' is a "must read". He said attempts by the Government and its media allies to run down the 'Ghana Palaver' was simply because they had no answers to the issues usually raised by the paper, that 'Ghana Palaver' usually reported the truth, and that the Government and its media allies hoped, through a strategy of systematic benign neglect, to "rubbish" the paper and convince people not to read it.

"But the strategy is backfiring badly", the Embassy source stated, adding that "the more they ignore and "rubbish" the 'Ghana Palaver', the more people want to read it.

In a related development, Mr. Robert Poku-Kyei, Special Assistant to Finance Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo, who used to work with the Minister when the latter was the Managing Director of the Bank for Housing and Construction before the Bank collapsed, was overheard telling somebody that "the money will come and the enemies of the NPP Government will be ashamed".

He is reported to have asserted confidently in the company of an undercover 'Ghana Palaver' stringer that they were only waiting for the Minister to return from Uganda to come and make a "full disclosure" of all the circumstances surrounding the CNT loan.

DAVID WILMER IS DEAD

Mr. David Wilmer is described in the so-called "due diligence report" that Finance Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo submitted to Parliament as being in support of the CNT Loan Agreement as a co-owner of Columbus Newport Llc (CN), a partner in CNTCI by virtue of its equity shareholdings in Alberni United SA.

According to the 'due diligence report', David Wilmer is Secretary to 5 former USA Presidents, and the former Treasury Secretary to the USA who is not named.

In the 'Crusading Guide' of 25th-31st May 2004, David Wilmer had metamorphosed into 'David Wimer' (without the 'l') and is no longer Secretary to 5 former USA Presidents, but to 3 former USA Presidents, Nixon, Ford and Reagan.

The 'Crusading Guide' also promised to publish the whole 'David Wimer' story in its next issue.

Well, we have news for the 'Crusading Guide' and for Finance Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo and for Parliament, which approved the loan.

David Wilmer (not 'Wimer', since the Finance Minister has asked us to stick to the official Loan Agreement) is dead! Yes, dead!! As in "ceased to exist" And he not just dead, he died on 21st February 1999, long before CNT or CNTCI was dreamed of. Unless it is his ghost which is currently the partner in Columbus Newport, then the whole of that part of the 'due diligence report' is a hoax.

We note that the name 'David Wimer' was what was submitted by Mr. Kweku Baako in his questionnaire to the so-called CNTCI President. We are aware that there is a living David'Wimer' who was a White House aide in the Nixon, Reagan and Bush Senior administrations and owns the International Policy Analysis Centre and Consulting Company.

Why Mr. Kweku Baako changed the name 'Wilmer' to 'Wimer' in his Question Number 11 to the CNTCI President, we do not know, but that is not the name on the 'due diligence report' that the Finance Minister sent to Parliament.

That name was 'David Wilmer', and he was described as "Secretary to 5 former USA Presidents". The 'David Wilmer' we have found is 'David Wilmer Mizell', of Vinegar Bend, USA. He was Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development from March 1975 to May 1976; Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Governmental and Public Affairs under President Reagan; and under President Bush Senior, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs, Department of Veteran Affairs, and executive director of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

That David Wilmer died on 21st February 1999 in Kerrville, Texas.