<<Print>>

General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, wants the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the Office of the Special Prosecutor to investigate claims that the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo Addo, used her influence to broker a deal for a Chinese firm operating in Ghana, STARTIMES CORPORATION.

The NDC stalwart is accusing the First Lady of receiving a bribe from Star Times - currently in negotiation with government for a contract on the Digital Terrestrial Platform project - through her charity organisation, Rebecca Foundation.

Undue Influence?

Media reports had indicated that Mrs Akufo-Addo had been allegedly bribed to use her influence to secure the deal for the Chinese firm after images of her jointly unveiling a football kit with the Chinese firm on the sidelines of the 2018 Forum on China-Africa Corporation (FOCAC) went viral.

But the First Lady subsequently issued a disclaimer in a rejoinder following the media publications linking StarTimes Corporation to her Foundation.

“STARTIMES CORPORATION offered to provide football kits for the children because of their association with Ghana football. This worthy effort, it must be stated, was not at the instance of the Foundation.

“The support was publicly announced and it is purely for charitable purposes. It is worth emphasising that neither the First Lady nor the Foundation has any role to play in any engagement between Star Times and the Government of Ghana, either directly or indirectly,” the Rebecca Foundation stated in the release.

Though the First Lady’s Office’s statement did not attribute the claims to anyone, the MP for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini, had earlier during that week, suggested on Citi FM/Citi TV that President Nana Akufo-Addo may be compromised when it came to StarTimes’ work in Ghana.

“In the case of StarTimes, I am beginning to suspect that perhaps, he [the President] has compromised himself in a way.”

“I say so because we have all heard and read about the President’s itinerary when he went to China recently and in one of his engagements, he had a special meeting with the President of StarTimes. We have also seen donations that StarTimes has made to the wife.”