The Deputy Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ernest Kofi Owusu Bempah, has alleged that former President John Dramani Mahama has spent approximately GH¢32 million on him since he left office in 2017.
Owusu-Bempah urged Ghanaians not to believe the former President’s criticisms of wasteful public spending, alleging that Mr. Mahama has personally benefited significantly from state funds.
In a Facebook post, he stated that accountable leadership and former President John Mahama have no correlation, emphasizing that the former president has been claiming expenses on his current residential property and emoluments since 2017.
According to Mr. Owusu-Bempah, Mr. Mahama has received as much as GH¢18 million from the taxpayer, in addition to GH¢14 million in ex-gratia.
Despite pledging to scrap ex-gratia if voted into power again, Mr. Mahama continues to benefit from substantial state resources.
He detailed that Mr. Mahama, aside from the GH¢14 million ex-gratia, retired on a salary of GH¢22,809, which has since increased to GH¢35,000 monthly due to recommendations from the Presidential Emoluments Committee on the conditions of service for Article 71 officeholders.
This adjustment means that since his departure from office, Mr. Mahama has received a non-taxable salary of GH¢1,934,832.00. Additionally, he has received GH¢9,123.00 monthly as rent, totaling GH¢629,487.00 in accommodation allowance since 2017.
Owusu-Bempah further alleged that Mr. Mahama still benefits from various state-provided services and staff, including his niece Joyce Bawa Mogtari and Felix Ofosu Kwakye, who receive GH¢9,000 each month as allowances.
“He also has a fully furnished office in Cantonments, Accra, with communication equipment and staff support, including a cook, steward, and gardener.
“For transportation, John Mahama has been given two Toyota Land Cruiser V8 vehicles, along with a chauffeur, maintained and comprehensively insured by the State. These vehicles are replaced every four years, with each V8 costing GH¢800,000.00, amounting to over GH¢1.6 million.
“The state also fuels these vehicles weekly at a cost of GH¢2,000, resulting in a total of GH¢324,000 since 2017. Additionally, the state has funded 18 official overseas trips for Mr. Mahama, amounting to over $1,000,000.00.
“In total, we are talking about some GH¢32 million state money that the former President has greedily enjoyed,” Mr. Owusu-Bempah claimed.
He highlighted that John Mahama is the only President in the Fourth Republic to have received such a significant ex-gratia and continues to enjoy an unprecedented end-of-service package.
“I don’t even want to go into all the emoluments that this ingrate of a former president has enjoyed from his days as Assemblyman, Member of Parliament, Deputy Minister, Minister, Vice President, and President of Ghana. At this opportune time, I don’t know what’s more heartbreaking; Mahama’s gluttonous self-indulgence or his hypocrisy and double standards. I guess the political correctness raison d’être; something that’s legal but yet immoral. In fact, it’s always interesting to know, in these recessionary times when everyone is struggling, that Mr. Mahama is actually draining the state coffers while at the same time campaigning to be president again,” Owusu-Bempah concluded.
ghanaweb.com