The
Managing Editor of the Daily Searchlight, Kenneth Kuranchie has slammed
John Dramani Mahama over his recent comments regarding the sale of
Merchant Bank to Fortiz Equity Fund.
President Mahama last week
issued an order to the authorities of Merchant Bank to set up a
task-force to compel Engineers and Planners (E&P) to defray their
debt to the bank.
During his encounter with senior journalists at
the Flagstaff House, he admonished E&P to pay up its debt to the
bank over a loan given to it by the bank. Some say, the loan is believed
to have had a major effect on the bank's growth; hence leading the
company to the verge of collapse.
Addressing the media, President
Mahama also denied any inducement by him to intervene in the deal
between his brother's company and Merchant Bank.
"Merchant Bank
was in trouble and that Merchant Bank could collapse because of the
debts that were owed to us. And so, as President and Vice President, the
President called a meeting which I attended to discuss the distress in
which Merchant Bank was.
“I sat in that meeting and I must say
out of that meeting, no intervention was made to direct Merchant Bank to
do anything. I can say that confidently; no intervention was made. At
no time had I used executive power to try and influence Merchant Bank to
do anything. After all, I became President in July. I could have
influence SSNIT. I could have dismissed the Merchant Bank Board. I could
have done things using executive power. I didn’t do that and so, I have
not played any role that has conflict of interest…Engineers and
Planners must pay their debt to Merchant as everybody else who owes
Merchant Bank.”
But speaking on Oman FM, Ken Kuranchie asserted
that the President's admission of his presence at a meeting with the two
companies is an indictment on him (Mahama).
To him, "if they
failed to arrive at a decision, that’s an indictment on the President;
the then President and the sitting President…Finding it necessary to
waste Presidential time and Vice Presidential time and you don’t come to
any decision. And you don’t come to any decision and two years later,
the bank is dying…
“What has gone down is deep and dirty.” |
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