Kufuor And Aliu Cry Out...

Former President, J. A Kufuor and former Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, have not been paid their monthly salaries since they left office six months ago. Former workers of the two Statesmen have also not been paid their entitlements.

Apart from the entitlements stated in the Chinery Hesse report, the two Statesmen, particular Mr. Kufuor is entitled to a monthly pay.

Sources close to the former Statesmen and their workers, who revealed this to the Mail, said, "when ever we contact the presidency, we are told there is no money."

When the Mail contacted the Chief of Staff of the presidency, Mr. Newman, he said, "there are still lot of work to be done on it...I am not in the position to comment on it anymore."

Q: The Mail: Even if it is a year and you have still not finished with the work, won't Kufuor and Aliu receive their pay, as the constitution stipulates?

ANS: Chief of Staff: As I told you I am not in the position to comment on it anymore.

The Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr. Fiffi Akwetey, when contacted said, "It's not the ministry of Finance that is responsible for that... go to the Accountant General."

Apart from former Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama who has not received any harsh treatment from the current government, Mr. Kufuor has been at their receiving end.

Mr. Kufuor had his cars taken away from him about two months ago and last Tuesday, his office was taken away from him by the National Security.

The former president's occupation of that building had engendered bitter public debates as parties took sides to either castigate him for taking national property allegedly without following proper procedure or defend his action because he deserved it and that the state was going to provide him an office any way.

Several groups, including the Ga-Dangme Youth, Minority in Parliament, Ga-Dangme Forward Movement, Osu Traditional Council and the Patriots for the Protection of Western Region Heritage all joined in the debate over the propriety or otherwise of the acquisition.

Contrary to what the Former President and his cronies are going through, information available to the Mail shows that a month into office of the Kufuor Administration in 2001, the then Former President, Mr. Rawlings, his Vice, who is now the President of Ghana, Professor Atta Mills and their workers were paid their entitlement.

Not only were their monthly salaries paid regularly but Former President Rawlings was given an office of his choice.

"Immediately after Kufuor's administration took over, we wrote to Mr. Rawlings asking for an account to pay his money in, but he did not provide that to us, but nevertheless we sent him his cheque every month," a source close to the former President told the Mail.