President Nana Akufo-Addo has said that he will be shocked if the CEO of Dream Realty and Inesfly, Saeed Fakhri paid a $100.000.00 to sit close to him at the Ghana Expatriates Business Awards.
He said that the accusation that expatriate CEOs paid $100.000.00 to sit close to him at the Ghana Expatriates Business Awards in 2017 is incomprehensible.
He cited an example saying Mr Fakhri has been his friend and client for nearly four decades and had personal access to him thus it will be unbelievable if he had to pay such an amount to sit close to him.
READ ALSO: Expatriates fail to appear before ad hoc committee, hearing suspended
“His father was a good friend of my own father and he himself has become a very close personal friend of mine. I know him and I eat in his house. He eats in my house. He has my telephone number. I have his. Even since I became president I have eaten in his house a couple of times. He has also been to my house.”
“I will be amazed if somebody like that, Saeed Fakhri will think that he needs to pay money to come and sit next to me. This is a man who can get me on the telephone any time of his choosing. Who sees me, who comes to my house and whose house I go to,” he added.
The award ceremony generated massive controversy after the Minority in Parliament alleged that expatriate business moguls including Mr Fakhri who participated in the ceremony were charged a huge amount to sit close to the president.
READ ALSO: We saved Ghana GHS145m – Nana Addo
Subsequently, the government through the Minister of Information, Mustapha Hamid, issued a statement exonerating the Ministry of any wrongdoing.
However, the Minority in parliament insisted there was wrongdoing leading to the establishment of the five-member committee.
The committee has so far heard evidence of some members of the minority who have alleged wrongdoing in the event as well as the trade ministry who insist there were no shady deals in the awards event.
On Monday, the committee took evidence from officials of the Millennium Excellence Awards.