SCANCEM Bribe: Rawlings was not mentíoned -Smith

After several weeks of blistering attacks on the former first family for their alleged involvement in a bribery scandal, the Special Aide of the beleaguered family, Mr. Victor Smith, has suddenly jumped to the defence of his bosses as he offers a new twist to the ongoing saga.

It will be recalled that the Weekend Crusading GUIDE recently carried on its front page reports of proceedings of a Norwegian court which accused the former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings and Mr. P.V. Obeng former Presidential Adviser in the Rawlings government, of being beneficiaries of huge sums of United States dollars paid into anonymous accounts by the management of SCANCEM, a Norwegian cement giant, headquartered in Oslo (Norway).

In a quick reaction to this allegation, Mr. Smith stated categorically that the name of the former President was not mentioned by any of the SCANCEM officials.

“I have heard from Tor Kjelsaas, I’ve heard from another gentleman who, was then MD of Norcem that we never mentioned Rawlings’ name in anyway, they have apologized for what is happening that a media house in Oslo should do so”, he said Tuesday on Radio Gold, an Accra-based radio station’s Morning Show programme.

According to him, Mr. Rawlings was totally disgusted by the allegations and had personally stated that his (Rawlings’) political detractors were only determined to disturb his peace.

He continued that “GHACEM has taken Tor to court to account for certain monies that they could not account for, apparently Tor Kjelsaas was the director in-charge for Africa over 15 years, they wanted him to either cough out the money or if he has used it for whichever purpose, that he had to use … to name names”.

According to Mr. Smith, attempts to draw former President Rawlings into the fray was part of the current government’s quest to tarnish the image of the latter.

He accused the government of using various other methods to mud-sling his boss, adding that “they said he stole vehicles; he didn’t. They said he had several bank accounts which they got other people to investigate. They found nothing.

“The latest is what we are witnessing now, but with time we’ll get to know the people who have any dealings with SCANCEM”, he stated.

Mr. Smith stated that “we are not surprised that people are being sent to Oslo to go and investigate and come out with stories to tell about him. He (Rawlings) knows that he has not done any such thing”.