Vice President's Accuser Confesses

The Spokesperson for the Group calling itself the Alliance for Responsible Office Holders (AFROH) Mahama Haruna, has made a u-turn and apologized to the Vice President for implicating him in the Armajaro ban lifting case. Mahama Haruna told Citi News he has come to the realization that the allegations leveled against the Mr. John Dramani Mahama, were unfounded. The group on November 22 2010, held a News conference at which it stated that the Vice President used his office to overturn a ban placed on the British cocoa trading company Armajaro Ltd, operating in Ghana. Armajaro had been banned by the Ghana Cocoa Board after some employees of the company was found to be smuggling cocoa to neighboring Cote D’Ivoire. The pressure group also threatened to drag the Vice President to the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice CHRAJ, over the matter. According to the Group’s Spokesperson, his legal team has advised that the case be dropped since there is no truth in the allegation. According to Mr. Haruna, his Lawyers and other well-meaning Ghanaians advised him to apologize to the Vice President hence his decision to ask for forgiveness for the inconvenience caused. He however said the apology was a personal decision and did not represent the group’s position. “I have been inundated with calls from well-meaning Ghanaians expressing their disappointment about the allegations I personally leveled against the Vice President so I decided to apologize. The truth is that I was not speaking as Mahama Haruna but for a group, so the Group still stands but I think that I needed to apologize. The Group may continue with their action to bring out whatever truth they claim to have but I want to say that the allegations are not true” he said. Mahama Haruna told Citi News that his continuous loyalty to the group or otherwise would be decided later. Speaking to Citi News, the Vice President’s Spokesperson John Jinapor said the Vice President has accepted the youngman’s apology but was quite dazed at the turn of events. Mr. Jinapor who admitted receiving the apology letter said the Vice President directed him to advice the man in question to desist from peddling such falsehood against political leaders. According to Mr. Jinapor, the Vice President in spite of the latest development has reiterated his call on critics to seek justice against him if they feel he is culpable. Mr. Jinapor downplayed suggestions that Mr. Mahama Haruna may have been influenced by the office of the Vice President or his close allies in Government to make the u-turn.