Rawlings not allocated house at AU Village

Accra, May 8, GNA - The office of former President Jerry John Rawlings has denied a story in the Daily Searchlight newspaper that he has been allocated three houses at the African Union (AU) Village in Accra.

"We wish to state categorically that no such houses have been allocated to the former President and his family. The story is laden with complete falsehood and concoctions that goes to expose the ignorance of the Daily Searchlight as far as basic journalism is concerned," a statement issued from his office on Friday said.

It said the former President and his wife have no intention of staying at the AU Village and would have declined

such an offer from government. "In any case the government has not made any official offer of accommodation at the AU Village.

RAWLINGS NOT ALLOCATED AU VILLAGE HOUSES

The attention of the Office of the President has been drawn to a couple of spurious publications about the former First Couple in the Daily Searchli= ght editions of Thursday May 6 and Friday May 7 respectively.

In the said publications the Daily Searchlight seeks to convince unsuspecting members of the public that the government has allocated three AU Village houses to the former First Family.

We wish to state categorically that no such houses have been allocated to the former President and his family. The story is laden with complete falsehood and concoctions that go to expose the ignorance of the Daily Searchlight as far as basic journalism is concerned.

It is untrue that the former President arrived back in Ghana in the wee hours of Sunday morning. The former President arrived with his wife from Europe early Saturday evening. It is thus unfortunate that the reliable source of the Searchlight managed to convince the Daily Searchlight that Mrs. Rawlings was at the airport to meet her husband. President and Mrs. Rawlings left Accra on April 7 and returned to Ghana on May 1 together.

This is information that can be crosschecked with the authorities at the Kotoka International Airport and we urge members of the media who wish to convince themselves of the fact to endeavour to follow up with the airport.

President and Mrs. Rawlings have no intention of staying at the AU Village and would have declined if the government had offered. In any case the government has not made any official offer of accommodation at the AU Village.

On Monday May 3 former President Rawlings was not in Accra. He travelled to Tefle in the Volta Region soon after arriving in Accra on Saturday evening. He could therefore not have been at the AU village or any other location outside Tefle as suggested by the newspaper.

Mrs. Rawlings who was in Accra has not visited the AU Village since arriving back in Ghana on Saturday evening.

We appreciate the fact that newspapers love to sell with the name of form= er President Rawlings, but we wish to caution the Daily Searchlight and all other mediums that carry falsehood on him or re-publish such falsehoods t= hat the former President reserves the right to take legal recourse.

"We appreciate the fact that newspapers love to sell with the name of former President Rawlings, but we wish to caution the Daily Searchlight and all other mediums that carry falsehood on him or re-publish such falsehoods t= hat the former President reserves the right to take legal recourse, "the statement said.