General News of Tuesday, 11 December 2018
Source: citinewsroom.com
2018-12-11
Former President John Agyekum Kufour
The office of the former president John Agyekum Kufour has described as “sensationalised” the recent reports about his unpaid ex-gratia since he left office in 2009.
Although he has confirmed that the former NDC administration failed to honour the payment of his ex-gratia all through the eight years it was in power, his office believes the comments were sensationally reported.
In press release dated December 10, former President John Agyekum Kufour indicated that he has not yet brought up the issue of payment to the current government.
Former President Kufuor after celebrating his 80th birthday on Saturday granted an interview to Accra-based Joy FM the following Monday, talking about his life, career, his tenure as President and his life as a statesman now.
It was however reported widely in the media before the interview that former President Kufuor has been complaining that the successive NDC administrations failed to honour his out of office entitlements, claims the office of Former President have described as ‘sensational reporting’.
“This office wants to make it clear that though the truth is still that President Kufuor has not been paid his ex-gratia, the reporter sensationally ‘mis-characterized’ what he said and the circumstances under which he said that.”
The statement further called on media houses to be decorous in reporting the story.
Below is the full statement
Re: President Kufuor has not been paid his Ex-Gratia.
The Office of Former President John Kufuor has come across some publications in the Ghanaian media to the effect that the former president is complaining that successive governments have refused to pay him the ex-gratia due him when he concluded his tenure as president in January 2009.
This office wants to make it clear that though the truth is still that President Kufuor has not been paid his ex-gratia, the reporter sensationally mischaracterized what he said and the circumstances under which he said that.
The interviewer, Daniel Dadzie, specifically asked whether Mr. Kufuor’s ex-gratia has been paid. He answered that upon assuming office in January 2009, the late President John Atta-Mills declared that the Chinnery-Hesse report was not approved so it could not be used to pay Mr.Kufuor’s ex-gratia.
However, at the subsequent vetting of the then-new ministers in parliament, Hon Alban Bagbin confirmed that the report had, indeed, been approved by parliament. Despite this fact, the two NDC administrations from 2009 to 2017 did not pay the ex-gratia due former President Kufuor.
Indeed, former President Kufuor specifically replied the Joy-FM interviewer that he had intentionally not brought the issue up with the present NPP government, though he intends to do so at an opportune time.
It must be stated here that Joy-FM had sought the interview and must therefore eschew sensationalizing it.
Signed
Dr. Kwabena Osei-Adubofour
Senior Aide and Spokesman for President John Kufuor