Mahama ex-gratia saga: The former president ‘lied through his teeth’ – Owusu Bempah

The Deputy Communication Director of the New Patriotic Party, Ernest Owusu Bempah, has berated former president John Dramani Mahama for saying that he does not receive his full retirement benefits.

Owusu Bempah accused the former president of “lying through his teeth” with his claim that he pays some of his bills himself, myjoyonline.com reports.


Read full article/>
According to him, the state has been "taking care" of Mahama since he was voted out of power and reimburses the expenditures of the former president when requests are made.

“As a politician who does politics with almost everything under the sun without censure, the ceaseless merry-go-round of cherry-picked evidence by Mahama to denigrate the state is quite embarrassing, to say the least. Fact is, there’s enough evidence to show that Mahama, since his 2016 electoral humiliation has been taken care of by the state. John Mahama can’t lie through his teeth and expect to get away with it.

“Matter of fact, here is enough evidence on Mahama’s claims that the state has abandoned its constitutional obligations towards him as former President. As you can see on the document below, Joyce Bawa, a special aide to former President- John Mahama, on the 19th December 2017, received and acknowledged receipt of $66,000 as reimbursement for airfare, when she, Joyce Bawa herself, made the request for same on 23rd November 2017,” he said.



He added that “to show that not only has the former President received vehicles from the state but also Mrs. Lordina Mahama was allocated a vehicle as well.”



Meanwhile, the Director of Communications for the NPP, Richard Ahiagbah, who previously stated that he had evidence that the government pays the office rent of the former president, has said that the government has not given Mahama an office accommodation because he wants an office that is currently being used for another purpose.

Former President John Dramani Mahama, while responding to claims by NPP chairman for the Bono Region, Kwame Baffoe Abronye, that he (Mahama) has been paid millions in lieu of ex-gratia payments, disclosed that he is not fully benefitting from emoluments he is entitled to as a former Head of State.

He said that all he receives from the government currently is his monthly pension and that all other bills the state must cater for have not been attended to since he left office in 2017.

In an exclusive interview with TV3, Mahama said he is currently footing a myriad of bills such as his light bills, fuel, office rent and travel bills.

“They haven’t given me an office, I rent an office in East Cantonments, I pay the rent myself, I pay for my own fuel, the state doesn’t give me fuel. I pay my own domestic staff, I pay my own medical bills. I pay my own air tickets when I travel,” he added.

Watch the latest episode of The Lowdown below:



IB/FNOQ