*Victor Smith & Minister *

*Own Up To $48,000 Watch*

*JH Mensah's Millionaire Son Sent To Castle *

By Larry-Alans Dogbey

Painstaking investigations by The Herald have revealed that two officials of the Mills government, Ambassador Victor Smith and Dr. John S. Annan, the Deputy Minister of Education, facilitated the presentation of the $48,000 (¢672 million) gold and diamond wristwatch to America’s First Lady Michelle Obama, which is currently lying in the US Presidential Museum for public viewing.

Both Ambassador Smith and Dr. Annan have, in separate telephone interviews with The Herald last Friday, admitted that they, indeed, facilitated the arrival and presentation of the gift to Mrs. Obama, but denied *a dime* of taxpayers’ money was blown on the wristwatch, saying that “it was free of charge,”. The wristwatch was to be returned to London had the Americans rejected it.

The luxurious wristwatch was presented by Mr. PK Mensah, son of one of Ghana’s shrewd politicians, J.H. Mensah of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). He is an ex-officer of the United Nations (UN). His company, Africa Watch Trading Company Limited, is the West African distributor for Backes & Strauss, manufacturers of the multi-million cedi wristwatch.

Mr. Mensah owns another company called MAP Consult Limited which won a lot of contracts during the Kufuor administration. Insiders disclosed among other things, that MAP Consult was awarded multi-billion procurement contracts by the Electoral Commission (EC). He made fortunes from supplying Indelible Inks to EC.

Both Africa Watch Trading Company Limited and MAP Consult Limited operate from the same office on the First Floor of Total House in Accra, on the Liberia Road, near Cedi House. He lives in the posh Trasacco Valley Estates in Accra, with his wife who works with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

He is also being linked to some European Union (EU) contracts, and presently, he is said to be executing a job for the Ghana Immigration Service.

Close associates describe him as a gentleman with an interesting past, but he has been sober for some years now. “He knows his job and has good human relations. He is very pleasant to deal with,” one of them said.

Mr. Mensah said to be in his fifties, is reported to have sometimes used his father’s name, Joseph Henry Mensah (Senior Minister in the NPP regime), to open big and tightly locked doors.

Meanwhile, The Herald has discovered that Mrs. Mills rather presented six pieces of Kente cloth and two glass bead jewelry sets, each consisting of a necklace, earrings, and two bracelets valued at $615.00, and this, like other gifts exceeding US$20, are resting in the Presidential Museum for public viewing.

“His Excellency Dr. John Evans Atta Mills, President of the Republic of Ghana”, according to the document, presented “31 x 47” portrait of President Barrack Obama with an American Flag valued at US$700.00 (¢9.8million), and this, like the expensive watch, has also gone into the Foreign Archives.

Osabarima Kwesi Atta, described as Head Chief and President of Oguaa Traditional Council, Cape Coast, Republic of Ghana, also showered her with a traditional necklace made of green, yellow, and white beads, a pair of brown leather sandals, two woven seat cover and three pieces of Ghanaian Kente cloth, valued at US$685.00 (a little over ¢7 million).

Mr. Smith, who until his appointment as Ghana’s Ambassador to the *Czech Republic* was the Head of Protocol in the Office of President when Mr. Obama, made his historic visit to Ghana, disclosed that the – Africa Watch Trading Company Limited representatives of Backes and Strauss , – who were behind the wristwatch was led to The Castle by Dr. J.S. Annan.

He said after meeting the manager of Africa Watch Trading Company Limited, whose name has been given as P.K. Mensah, he contacted two of President Obama’s protocol officers on the intensions of Backes & Strauss to present a gift to Mrs. Obama, but he was told that the company will not be allowed and that all gifts should be put together and presented as one.

According to Mr. Smith, he relayed the position of the protocol officers to Africa Watch Trading Company Limited, and they wanted Ghana’s First Lady Naadu Mills to present the wristwatch on its behalf, but had to release it to him, after a written and signed undertaking that the watch will be returned should the Americans refuse it.

But as it turned out it was accepted because “Non-acceptance would cause embarrassment to donor and U.S Government,” said the Americans in their State Department Federal Register Volume 76 number 11, released last week Tuesday.

Asked what might have moved the Africa Watch Trading Company Limited, to present such an expensive gift, Ambassador Smith, was of the view that the company might have seen it as an opportunity to market itself.

On his part, the Deputy Minister of Education confirmed leading the agents of Backes & Strauss to The Castle to meet Mr. Smith, and insisted that the American Ambassador to Ghana and other officials of the American Embassy are aware of the facts.

Dr. Annan quoted the undertaking signed by Mr. Smith which said :“In recognition of this unique occasion, Africa watch Trading Company is pleased to offer the Black Star of Ghana Model free of charge to be presented as a gift from the people of Ghana to Mrs. Michelle Obama,” and added;

“It was not bought or purchased by Mrs. Mills. She was to present it on behalf of the company but it was eventually added to the protocol gifts.” Further stating that “As usual something good is being painted black.”* *

He revealed that the Armenian owner of Backes & Strauss, who was born in Africa and has visited Ghana before, was thrilled by President Obama and his wife’s presence on the continent, and hence decided to give them something but chose to do that through its agents here in Ghana, Africa Watch Trading Company Limited.

The US Embassy in Ghana says the $48,000 gold wristwatch given to the US First Lady as a gift neither came neither from the Government of Ghana nor from Ghana’s First Lady.

Information Officer at the US Embassy Ben East, was on both Joy FM and Citi FM all based in Accra, saying that the wristwatch did not come from Mrs. Mills. He refused, however, to disclose the giver of the gift but categorically denied it came from the Government of Ghana or Ghana’s First Lady.

He told Citi News that the source of the gift could only be disclosed after the US Federal Register has corrected an error committed in registering it.

Information about the gift was published in the White House Federal Register, and picked up by Yahoo News and other international news wires, including the AFP.

The customized wristwatch has the “Black Star of Ghana” “crafted in 18 karat gold with diamonds and leather.” *More to come *