You are here: HomeNews2007 11 20Article 134526

General News of Tuesday, 20 November 2007

Source: Palaver

Alan 'Cash' still using Govt Vehicles

For Crashing Ministry's vehicle and ?killing? driver ?
ALAN ?CASH? KYEREMANTENG
? Is guity of "Wilfully Causing Financial Loss To The State"

Alan ?Cash? Kyeremanteng has resigned as Minister of State. He is not a Member of Parliament. He is a private citizen vying for the Presidential candidacy of the ruling NPP.

Yet when Alan ?Cash?s convoy was involved in a fatal accident in the Brong Ahafo Region two weeks ago, among the seriously damaged vehicles in the convoy was a 4-wheel drive vehicle belonging to the Ministry of Trade, Industries, Private Sector Development (PSD) and Presidential Special Initiative (PSI).

And among those who died in the convoy was a driver by name Abraham Mensah, an official driver of the Ministry who usually drives the Ministry?s Land Cruiser vehicle No. GT 5144 V.

According to Ghana Palaver sources at the Ministry, Mr. Mensah is one of four official drivers who have been granted leave with pay to work full time with Alan Kyeremanteng on his campaign trail. The four also include one Bediako, who used to be Alan Kyeremanteng?s official driver when he was Minister.

Our sources in the Brong Ahafo Region inform us that on that fateful day, Alan Kyeremanteng was in the pick-up vehicle that was being driven by Abraham Mensah. For some unexplained reason, Alan decided to swap the drivers and therefore left the vehicle being driven by Mr. Mensah. Five minutes later, the vehicle being driven by Abraham Mensah collided with a charcoal truck, killing him instantly.

Abraham Mensah, a native of La, is married and his wife is expecting their second child. Who takes care of the widow and child now is a question that only Alan Kyeremanteng can answer.

Further information also indicate that a state helicopter was dispatched to fly the dead bodies and the injured to the 37 Military Hospital after the accident.

Our sources say that the accident was initially not reported to the police. Instead, the vehicle was quickly moved from the scene of the accident and parked at the garage of one Mr. J. A. Adom at Techiman. J.A. Adom, we are informed, used to be an NDC stalwart who defected to the NPP after the NDC lost power in 2000 and his brother ?Abokyi? was elected Chairman of the Techiman South Constituency of the NPP.

One of our sources, who is from one of the rival NPP aspirants? camps, complained that all of these are evidence of the charge that Alan Kyeremanteng has the support of President Kufuor. ?Why else do you think a state helicopter would be dispatched to evacuate the dead and the injured to the 37 Military Hospital?, he quipped.

?The use of the Ministry vehicle and the Ministry drivers amount to abuse of incumbency, and crashing the vehicle and killing the driver amount to wilfully causing financial loss to the state, not to talk about the use of the state helicopter for a purely private endeavour?, another rival NPP aspirant?s camp source complained.