General News of Monday, 29 October 2012

Source: The New Crusading Guide

I never made bribe demands on behalf of Akufo-Addo- Dan Markin

The Board Chairman of the Ghana Railway Development Authority, Dan Markin who is alleged to have negotiated bribe on behalf of former Chief of Staff and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Kwadwo Okyere Mpiani, late Finance Minister, Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu and then Foreign Affairs Minister, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has strongly denied the accusation saying that he is “disgusted” because he never met any of the persons mentioned to negotiate with them.

“There has not been any bribe collecting by anybody. I have never fronted for anybody and nobody asked that I should front for him. To be frank, I never met with Nana Akufo-Addo,” a clearly unhappy Mr. Markin reiterated.

According to him, although his company was contracted by Rockshell to undertake some “financial analysis” and also offer “legal advice”, relative to the settlement of the outstanding payment, he never negotiated for any bribe on behalf of the then government appointees.

Mr. Markin made the disclosure on Thursday in an interview with radio Gold, an Accra based radio station.

“I must put it on record that I want President Mahama to win this election and I will vote for him. I will not vote for Nana Addo but I will not go out there to tell lies and malign Nana Addo”, Mr. Markin stated.

He further disclosed that while his company remained as the Consultant for Rockshell “Atukwei Okai (Ayikoi Otoo) was the Attorney General.

Nana Akufo-Addo was the Foreign Affairs Minister so I do not really know what is going on”.

In separate interviews on the same programme with Raymond Archer, publisher of The Enquirer and Kwesi Pratt, Managing Editor of The Insight newspaper, both journalists called for a further probe into the allegation against the former NPP government officials as well as Dan Markin.

“It is important to get Dan Markin to speak and be investigated because Mr. Dan Markin today occupies a very important position. He is the Board Chairman of the Ghana Railway Authority . We are going to expand the railway system to the north and so on. A lot of public money is going to go into the railway and if indeed the allegation is true, then Dan Markin should not be holding a public office”, Mr. Pratt averred.

He further challenged all persons mentioned in the matter to come out to clear their names.

In a related development, a statement issued over the weekend by Dadzie and Associates, Solicitors for Dan Markin has denied any wrongdoing on his part.

It also reminded the public that “the decision of the High Court in the circumstance may not be the final decision on the matter”.