Former President Jerry John Rawlings has revealed that after 19 years in office as a military and democratic leader, he and former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings left office without a dollar in account.
He claimed that contrary to what was being speculated he owned a Swiss account in which several millions of dollars were stashed in, it was only after his exit from power on January 7, 2001, that he open a foreign account.
Speaking at the National Cadres conference for the middle belt held at Kumasi in the Ashanti region which was under the theme: “Effective mobilisation and organization” for victory 2020: The role of cadres” How many of you would be believe that after 19 years in office, My wife and I left office without a dollar in any foreign or local account. In the first place, we didn’t own a foreign account then. We only did after we left office”
John Rawlings revealed that but for the intervention of a respected figure, the late Kofi Annan who ‘forced’ him to open a foreign bank account, he had never owned any bank account outside the shores of Ghana.
“My wife and I opened a foreign account at the urge of former United Nations General Secretary, Kofi Annan. He told me he will need me to help in the UN anti-AIDS campaign and once in a while the UN will pay me some allowance.” He said.
“My wife and I were in office for nineteen years, by the time we were leaving office, we did not have even one dollar foreign account”, he reiterated.
He further revealed that the foreign bank account was no longer functional following the closure of the program for which it was opened.
“The campaign has ended long ago and that account has been closed. I don’t have any hidden foreign account and she (his wife) does not’’.
Story by Pearl Abaidoo-Abbam |DFM |DIKODER.COM|
