GIPC to investigate reports it is funding an NDC group

The Ghana Investment Promotion Council says it is investigating reports that it is providing some funding for one of the groups campaigning for NDC presidential candidate, John Mahama.

The Daily Guide newspaper Monday published copies of a letter purported to emanate from a wing of President Mahama’s campaign team, Volunteer For Mahama (VFM), requesting money for its campaign activities.

The letter, addressed to the chief executive of the GIPC, is dated November 12, 2012 and signed by Mawutor Agbavitor, leader of the VFM. It was subsequently minuted, with instructions to one Matilda to facilitate the release of 4,000 cedis to support the group’s activities.

The paper also published a copy of a cheque of GH¢4,000, issued in the name of the group to be draw from the GIPC’s ECOBANK account.

The Chief Executive of the Council, Mr. George Aboagye, in a taciturn one, told Joy News he will investigate the authenticity of the documents.

But the NPP’s director of communications, Nana Akomea described the reports as disgraceful and chided President Mahama for tolerating such activities.

He insisted the documents published by the newspaper were sufficient evidence of the corruption in the country and a reason for “everything concerned citizen to rise up”, against how “government is using our money”.

He said it was disturbing that at a time that the Capitation Grant (a limited subsidy given to basic schools) and feeding grants for senior high schools, had not been paid, a public institute’s money was being used not for the benefit of the public but to fund the partisan political activities of a political party.

Nana Akomea also took issue with the laptops being distributed by government to students and schools with the picture of the president embossed at the back.

He said the laptops were procured with government money and that the decision to emboss the president’s picture on them was “backward”.

Joy News has tried without success to get a reaction from the group – Volunteer for Mahama.