FLASHBACK: I have never taken bribe before – Mahama

In the wake of heightened corruption scandals during the John Dramani Mahama administration in 2016, the president told BBC Africa that he had never in his life been compromised.

The former president in an interview with BBC, on the sidelines of 2016 Anti-Corruption summit which was organized by the UK government said, “Any human being in the world would have encountered corruption one way or the other, either being offered a bribe or a bribe being demanded from you.”

But when asked specifically if he had ever taken bribes as a person he said; “No, I haven’t taken a bribe. What you need to do is to put yourself in a position where you’re not offered a bribe and that’s what I’ve done.”

The former president said this in an interview with BBC Focus Africa’s Peter Okwoche.

Read the full story originally published on May 12, 2016, on Ghanaweb

President John Mahama has stated that he has never taken a bribe.

According to him, although any individual could be susceptible to the canker, it is important for individuals to put themselves in the position to resist it.

“Any human being in the world would have encountered corruption one way or the other, either being offered a bribe or a bribe being demanded from you. What you need to do is to put yourself in a position to (resist it)..,” the president told the BBC in a yet-to-be aired interview.

When the interviewer, Peter Okwoche, asked him directly if he has taken bribe, Mr. Mahama responded “no, I haven’t taken bribe”.

The President is currently taking part in the Anti-corruption summit in London.

Before leaving for the UK, the President said “the London Summit provides an opportunity to demonstrate once again the measures we have been adopting to strengthen our fight against corruption, combat money laundering and counter the financing of terrorism."