Former Ghana President John Mahama has revealed that he pays his own bills, which is supposed to be the government’s responsibility.
According to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer for the last three elections, he pays for his own water, electricity, rent, fuel, medical care, and plane tickets.
Mr Mahama made the revelation in an interview with TV3, where he also denied receiving GH¢14 million as his ex gratia payment.
Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Kwame Baffoe alias Abronye DC alleged in a press release dated September 6, 2022, that the former president took the GH¢14 million ex gratia in his Agricultural Development Bank Account.
“That’s an absolute lie. He [Abronye DC] says in 2013 14 million [cedis] was paid into my ADB [Agricultural Development Bank] account. I have my 2013 bank statement I will let you look through it and see if there is any 14 million payment,” Mahama told Ghana Tonight host Alfred Ocansey.
“The only payment that was made to me by government, Accountant General, was my salary arrears of 230,000 cedis in 2013. I will show it [bank statement] to you first, and later if you want we can call a group of you journalists. Of course, I don’t want to publish my bank statement but I can put it before you and you can look through all the payments and see if there is a 14 million cedis payment. I didn’t receive any such payment.”
Mahama left office in 2017 after losing the 2016 presidential election to current President Nana Akufo-Addo. He ran for president again in 2020, but lost.
Mahama added: “I receive only my monthly pension like [former] President Kufuor, and [late former] President Rawlings was receiving [it] before he died. That is all I get”
“I pay the electricity bill for my house and my office, I pay the water bill for my house and my office. I live in my own accommodation so the State does not pay me anything for accommodation.
“They haven’t given me an office, I rent an office in East Cantonments, I pay the rent myself, I pay my own fuel, the State doesn’t give me fuel, I pay my own domestic staff, I pay my own medical bills, I pay my own air tickets when I travel…”.
Source: 3news.com|Ghana