Government Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu has explained the circumstances that led to the decision by the Presidency to pardon and formally caution Sammy Gyamfi, Acting CEO of the Gold Board, following his dollar gift to priestess turned evangelist, Patricia Asiamah, popularly called Nana Agradaa.
Speaking after the pardon in an interview on Citi Eyewitness News on Wednesday, May 14, Ofosu stated that the matter was handled by the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, who took immediate steps to engage Mr Gyamfi once the issue surfaced.
“The Chief of the Staff is the one who handled the matter. Immediately after the matter broke out, he extended an invitation to Mr Sammy Gyamfi to hear his side of the story because it was important to hear him before any pronouncement could be made,” he said.
According to him, Mr Gyamfi provided a full explanation of the incident during the meeting and also issued a public apology, which was taken into account.
“He heard him, and Mr Sammy Gyamfi provided his side of the story. He explained what transpired. The Chief of Staff also took into account the apology that Mr Sammy Gyamfi issued, which then showed a certain level of contrition and acknowledgement that there was a need to avoid such happenings,” he continued.
Following the apology and the explanation, the Chief of Staff briefed President John Dramani Mahama.
The decision was then made to issue a caution to Mr Gyamfi as an appropriate response.
“So, having apologised and having rendered his side of the story, the Chief of Staff then briefed the president, and it was determined that the apology should be followed with a caution to Mr Sammy Gyamfi to ensure that such development does not recur,” Ofosu noted.
He added that the Presidency considers the apology and caution sufficient in addressing the incident, bringing closure to the matter.
“It is believed that these two are sufficient as remedies to the matter at hand, and that was the basis upon which this position was taken,” Ofosu stated.
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