General News of Wednesday, 27 November 2013

Source: XYZ

I’m ready to appear before Judgment debt c’ssion – Kufuor

Former President John Kufuor has stated his willingness to appear before the Judgment Debt Commission to answer questions regarding the sale of the drill ship in 2001.

A Pro-government group, ‘Inside Ghana’, is demanding that the Judgment Debt Commission invites former President Kufuor and former Attorney General Nana Akufo-Addo, to tell Ghanaians about their roles in the sale of the drill ship.

The Discoverer 511 was sold for US$24Million to defray a US$19.5Million judgment debt awarded against the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), in favour of French Bank Societe Generale, by an English Court.

The Judgment Debt Commission is investigating how the 24 million dollars accrued from the sale of the ship to pay judgment debt owed Societe Generale Bank was expended.

Former Energy Minister, Albert Kan-Dapaah and his Deputy, K.T. Hammond as well as former GNPC CEOs Tsatsu Tsikata and Dr. Quaah have all appeared before the Commission over the matter.

Inside Ghana, however, says former President Kufuor and Nana Akufo-Addo, under whose tenure the vessel was sold, must also necessarily, be hauled before the Commission to testify in the “fictitious sale” of the Ship.

Speaking to Radio XYZ's Strict Proof programme Wednesday, Mr. Kufuor's Spokesperson, Frank Agyekum, said the former president did nothing wrong and he is ever ready to appear before the Commission if invited.

According to Mr. Agyekum, the drill ship was sold in a very transparent manner in the interest of the nation.

He added: “I want to repeat that if ever it becomes necessary for President Kufuor to be invited by the sole commissioner, he is going to go. President Kufuor is a very constitution-minded person. He is very law abiding…so if the sole commission does deem it fit to invite him, he is going to go without equivocation".

“He doesn’t believe that we did any wrong as a government in selling the drill ship, he believes the due processes were followed so he has nothing to fear at all”.