Former President John Dramani Mahama has described as mischievous claims that Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is stranded and has no where to stay because, he [Mahama] has refused to vacate the designated accommodation for Vice Presidents.
Mr. John Mahama, who handed over power to the Nana Akufo-Addo government last Saturday, said the Transition Team as well as Parliament, had agreed that he maintains the building, contrary to recommendations made by a committee tasked to review emoluments of Article 71 office holders and his retirement package.
Per the recommendations, Parliament only approved for John Mahama money for his accommodation. Therefore request for the house, which was approved through the use of administrative processes, thus appears to be against the Presidential Transition Act Section 10, making his continuous occupation of the house a breach.
“The claims that Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia is stranded and has nowhere to stay, is mischievous and deliberately intended to embarrass President Mahama. The Vice President is expected to take up residence in the House known as Australia House, which was previously occupied by former Vice President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur,” Mahama said in a statement.
According to him “an Official and Permanent residence for the Vice President is currently under construction, off the Switchback road. Dr. Bawumia will move into the new structure when completed.”
The former president still occupied his vice presidential residence despite being president during his tenure of office.
Meanwhile, the Prof. Dora Francisca Edu- Buandoh committee recommended that Mahama instead of going home with a fully furnished house in Accra and another location of his choice, Mahama should rather have “40 percent of [his] salary to be paid monthly.”
This was a deviation from the Chinery-Hesse Committee Report (2001-2005) which said, former Presidents should receive “one fully furnished residence in the national capital and one out-of-capital residence at a location of the former President’s choice; all of which should not revert to the state in the event of the demise of the former President.”
The Prof. Dora Francisca Edu- Buandoh committee’s report sighted by citifmonline.com also recommended that John Mahama should retire on a salary of GH¢22,809, up from the non-taxable salary of GH¢15,972 previously approved for presidents.
Below is the full statement from office of John Mahama:
Ignore claims about President Mahama’s residence
Contrary to the claims being made that HE John Dramani Mahama, former President of the Republic of Ghana, has refused to vacate his residence, we wish to state and confirm that per the information officially communicated to the newly inaugurated administration following discussions by the Joint Transition Team, President Mahama will continue to maintain his current place of residence as his retirement home.
The decision and agreement on the place of residence and office for the former President was formally communicated to the new administration by the former Chief of Staff Julius Debrah on December 19, 2016.
The Sixth Parliament of the 4th Republic before its dissolution, also resolved that residential and office accommodation should be provided to the outgoing President, HE John Dramani Mahama in line with convention and existing precedent.
The claims that Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia is stranded and has nowhere to stay, is mischievous and deliberately intended to embarrass President Mahama.
The Vice President is expected to take up residence in the House known as Australia House, which was previously occupied by former Vice President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur.
An Official and Permanent residence for the Vice President is currently under construction, off the Switchback road. Dr. Bawumia will move into the new structure when completed.
Office of HE John Dramani Mahama
Former President of the Republic of Ghana
Accra- Ghana.
January 09, 2017.
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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin
