Ghanaian politically exposed persons across the divide risk increased suspicion and harassment if the Dubai allegation and a recent report of large seizures of millions of cash at a London airport are not investigated, North Tongu lawmaker Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said. Mr Ablakwa said that it is in the supreme interest of Ghana’s international
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Ghanaian politically exposed persons across the divide risk increased suspicion and harassment if the Dubai allegation and a recent report of large seizures of millions of cash at a London airport are not investigated, North Tongu lawmaker Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said.
Mr Ablakwa said that it is in the supreme interest of Ghana’s international image, and in the interest of all politically exposed persons that these reports are thoroughly investigated.
The Dubai accusations emerged following a report by the UK-based think tank, the Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which implicated several former appointees of the Mahama administration, including Asaga, Inusah Fuseini, and others.
The OCCRP report titled “How Dirty Money Finds a Home in Dubai Real Estate,” published on May 14, 2024, suggested that these individuals had amassed real estate in Dubai worth millions of dollars during their tenure in power.
The report also highlighted Dubai’s reputation for financial secrecy, suggesting it has become a sanctuary for funds from questionable sources.
In a post on his X platform, Mr Ablakwa said “Ghana’s anti-corruption institutions and diplomatic missions abroad must take keen interest in all the corruption reports emanating from various international quarters including the Dubai allegations and recent reports of large seizures of millions of cash at a London airport.
“It is in the supreme interest of Ghana’s international image, and in the interest of all politically exposed persons that these reports are thoroughly investigated.
“Ghanaian politically exposed persons across the divide risk increased suspicion, harassment at airports and may regrettably assume pariah status if these grave allegations of grand graft are not properly dealt with.”
Meanwhile one of the politically exposed people whose name came up in the issues, Moses Asaga, a former Member of Parliament for Nabdam in the Upper East Region denied claims of owning illicitly acquired properties in Dubai.
“I thought I had done something criminal and corrupt worth investigating. $133, 000, shouldn’t I be able to own such an investment? What are the prices of Trasaco properties $1m- $3m who are staying there? Is it not politicians and majority NPP functionaries? Has the OCCRP gone to put a story on them? This is a political machination.
“So, they think for my 30-year working life I should not have an investment of that paltry amount. Before politics, I worked with Ecobank, and GNPC and was Deputy Minister of Finance, Minister for Employment, and CEO of NPA. I could not afford an investment of $133,000 for a student one-bedroom apartment. What is the crime and corruption involved in this?
“In Ghana, new apartments are being sold for $200,000 plus, and Trasaco is $1m–$5m. Who stays in them is [it] not bankers, CEOs of GNPC, COCOBOD, BOST, and politicians,” he told Citi FM.
The post Dubai allegation, others: Ghanaian politically exposed persons risk increased suspicion & harassment if…- Ablakwa first appeared on 3News.
