Mahama’s corruption record was unprecedented,We won’t take advice from him – Owusu Bempah

Following his recent criticism of the present administration’s corruption and misgovernance, former president John Dramani Mahama has come under criticisms especially by Mr. Owusu Bempah.

Some have questioned his authenticity on the matter because of his own purported involvement in corruption issues during his reign. The ruling New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) deputy director of communications, Ernest Owusu Bempah, signed a statement dated May 10, 2024, denouncing Mr. Mahama for what was perceived to be his hypocrisy and highlighting a number of corruption scandals that transpired during his presidency.

Mr. Owusu Bempah, citing instances like the bus branding controversy, the GYEEDA scandal, and the SADA corruption scandal, charged Mr. Mahama with leading a government characterized by widespread corruption and financial misconduct.

He specifically brought up the bus branding issue, in which it was discovered through investigations that a business hired to brand Metro Mass Transit buses overcharged the government by millions of cedis, and that the business’s owner had ties to Mr. Mahama.

In a similar vein, he referenced the SADA corruption case, in which millions of cedis were purportedly misappropriated, and the GYEEDA affair, which cost the state millions of cedis.

Mr. Owusu Bempah again cited a recent court decision that further damaged Mr. Mahama’s reputation on the subject of corruption by finding two former Mahama appointees guilty on several counts of financial mismanagement, embezzlement, and money laundering.

He questioned Mr. Mahama’s moral standing to speak out against corruption and misgovernance in light of these disclosures, calling his statements phony and hypocritical.

Mr. Owusu Bempah also underlined the importance of accountability and transparency in governance, advising Ghanaians to carefully consider the qualifications of political leaders by looking at their past performance.

Ghana is set to go to the polls on December 7th to elect a new president as well as Members of Parliament for various constituencies within the country.