Bono Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe Abronye, has disclosed in addition to the GH¢14 million ex-gratia former President John Dramani Mahama received in 2013, he has also grabbed a total GH¢15.6 million as retirement package since 2017.
According to him, the GH¢14 million ex-gratia was paid into the Agricultural Development Bank Account of Mr Mahama who incidentally is the only President in the 4th Republic to receive the fattest ex-gratia and continues to receive an unprecedented end-of-service package no former president has enjoyed.
Abronye who was responding to the former President’s denial argued no ex-gratia of any former president has been captured in any of the Auditor General’s reports since 1992.
“Mr Mahama should bow down his head in deep shame as he still receives huge monies from the government as salaries and benefits even in a time of a pandemic where the President and all his appointees have cut their salaries by 30%.”
“I am therefore challenging the former President to as a matter of urgency refund all monies received from the state since 2019 to date if he truly feels Ghanaians are in difficult times and suffering hardships,” he challenged.
He listed a litany of benefits that he claimed Mr. Mahama has been enjoying since leaving office including retiring on a salary of GH¢22,809 up from the non-taxable salary of GH¢15,972 previously approved for presidents.
“However, he now receives GH¢35,000 monthly due to the recent increase in emoluments as recommended by the Presidential Emoluments Committee on the conditions of service of Article 71 office holders’ report.”
“This means that since former President Mahama was voted out of office he has received a non-taxable salary of GH¢1,934,832.00
“Mr Mahama also receives GH¢9,123.00 monthly as rent. This means that since 2017, when Ghanaians voted against John Mahama, he has received an accommodation allowance totalling GH¢629,487.00”
The former President, he said, also receives state-provided staff not exceeding four including Joyce Bawa Mogtari and Felix Ofosu Kwakye who receive GH¢ 9,000 every month as allowances and a furnished and up-to-date office located at Cantonment in Accra and communication equipment and staff support consisting of a cook steward and gardener.
According to him, the salaries of Felix Ofosu Kwakye, Joyce Bawa Mogtari and 2 other staffers to the former President amount to GH¢2,484,000.00 excluding the salaries of the cook and gardener.
“For transport, President Mahama has been given two Toyota Land Cruiser V8 vehicles, a chauffeur, maintained and comprehensively insured by the State and changed every four years for life. Each V8 costs GH¢ 800,000.00. Therefore, for transportation, the state spends over GH¢16M on Mr Mahama excluding salaries of drivers.”
“Also, the state fuels each vehicle weekly at a cost of GH¢2000 thereby amounting to GH¢324,000 since he was voted out of office in 2017.”
Kwame Baffoe added that Mr Mahama, since 2017, also enjoys two state-sponsored fully paid trips with his spouse and two security persons each year at a cost of $80,000.00 and that the state has funded 12 trips of the former President amounting to about $960,000.00 equivalent to about GH¢ 8.6M.
“President Mahama and his wife are also entitled to free healthcare. Since 2017, it is important to note that Mr. John Mahama has since received an end-of-service package of GH¢15,612,319.00.”
According to him, the statement of denial from Mr. Mahama’s office was nothing but a diversionary tactic to repress the statement by the IMF that the current economic hardships in the country are not a creation of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He accused Mr John Mahama of suffering from hyperthymesia and a delusion of self-grandeur because not too long ago he admitted at the 24th African Business Conference of Harvard Business School that the COVID-19 pandemic has created the continent’s worst recession in 50 years, with real GDP shrinking by an average of 3% in 2022.
Ghana, he said, is no exception from what the rest of Africa and the world are experiencing from the pandemic hence it is unintelligent and ignorant for the former President to suggest the current economic hardship in Ghana is a creation of President Akufo-Addo.
Source: Mypublisher24.com