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Here are the politicians accused of corrupt practices in Ghana

Pulse.com.gh brings you another list of politicians who are accused of corrupt allegations since 2009 t0 2017.

Some politicians in authority allocated to themselves tractors brought into the country by government for farmers and others ride on the back of the horse to use state coffers to buy pampers, ‘Khebab’ among others for themselves.

Many people including some MPs are indicted in bribery allegations.

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Some members of Parliament refuted the claims and rubbishes it.

Pulse.com.gh brings you another list of politicians who are accused of corrupt allegations since 2009 t0 2017.

Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka (Pampers/Khebab)

Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka is the Member of Parliament for Asawase in the Ashanti region. He was the Minister for Youth and Sports. He was requested by the late President Mills to proceed on leave while allegations of corruption against him were investigated.

The Muntaka pampers/Khebab scandal that rocked the government of the late Atta Mills caused his administration its first political casualty, is bound to linger on for years.

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Even though National Security and late President Mills said they have dealt with the matter conclusively, indications are that more can of worms could be opened on the matter one of these fine days.

Abuga Pele, former GYEEDA boss and MP

Abuga Pele, the former Member of Parliament for Chiana-Paga constituency who was indicted in the GYEEDA scandal for alleged malfeasance and misappropriation of funds has said he is completely innocent of the charges proffered against him.

He has been charged with causing financial loss to the state, defrauding by false pretences and aiding and abeting crime.

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Abuga Pele and the Chief Executive Officer of Goodwill International Group appeared in court Friday to answer a total of 19 charges, in connection with their roles in the GYEEDA rot.

Victoria Hammah, former deputy Communications minister

Former Deputy Communications Minister Victoria Hammah was sacked after she was recorded allegedly saying she would stay in politics until she has made $1m (£600,000).

Ms Hammah has not yet commented on the tape or her sacking.

Some pundits were vindicated over her sacking, as they warned that she was too young and inexperienced to serve in government.

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In August 2013, she said there was a lot of pressure on her to steal public money because people thought that, as a minister, she was rich.

Ms Hammah first came to the public attention after stumbling several times while making a speech and then saying she had been given the wrong text.

On the tape, which has not been independently verified, she says: "I will not quit politics until I make one million dollars."

She also criticized another deputy minister, calling her "senseless, ugly, loud and egoistic".

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Mahama Ayariga, MP for Bawku Central (Tractors)

The former Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Mahama Ayariga was accused for allocating five state tractors to himself just after the NDC assumed office in 2009.

He applied for a tractor but was given five (5) by the Ministry of Agriculture which was contrary to the rule governing the acquisition of the tractors.

The tractors were to be acquired by companies and corporate bodies and not individuals, but Members of Parliament were allowed to apply for a tractor each.

According to reports, contrary to assertions by Mr. Ayariga that the tractors were hired for GH¢1O to plough an acre of land, the tractors were rather hired for GH¢25.

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The tractors were being used to lure NPP supporters to join the NDC who are expecting a bye-election, since an NDC supporter had dragged the former Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central, Adamu Dramani to court on allegations that he had not renounced his British citizenship.

Joe Osei Owusu, First deputy Speaker

Mr Osei-Owusu, known in political circles as Joe Wise, was a polling station chairman for the NPP at Bekwai, became central ward chairman and later constituency chairman for the party at Bekwai. He had earlier served as an assembly member in the area.

But that was not to be as President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the party bigwigs had another plan for him; to take the chair of the First Deputy Speaker.

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Not long ago, he appeared before the special committee to conduct an inquiry into allegations of collecting bribe against him and the Minority members.

He repeated his earlier position that he never took any money from Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko, to be given to the Minority members on the committee to influence his approval for the position.

He informed the five-member committee, chaired by Mr Joe Ghartey, MP for Essikado Ketan and former Deputy Speaker of Parliament in Accra, that the allegation according to Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, MP for North Tongu, was to equalise and spread allegations of corruption against former President John Mahama and for the Majority NPP to feel the heat of making allegations against the former president.

The bribery allegation followed the reluctance by the Minority side of the Appointments Committee to recommend Mr Agyarko for passage over certain comments he made against former President Mahama during his vetting.

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According to the witness, Mr Ablakwa’s statement was made at a conclave meeting at the Speaker’s Lobby, to consider issues and reach consensus on approving Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, then Senior Minister Designate and Mr Boakye Agyarko, then Energy Minister Designate, on whom the Committee had recommended majority approval rather than consensual.

Mr Osei-Owusu and Minority Chief Whip Mohammed Muntaka were implicated in an allegation that they received GHȼ100,000 to share GHȼ3,000 each from Mr Agyarko as bribe money for his approval.

The narrative has been contested by Messrs Osei-Owusu and Muntaka who both denied receiving and sharing money to the MPs and accused Mr Ayariga of peddling falsehood.

Mr Osei- Owusu, said he was infuriated and became emotional at the statement.

Mr Ghartey, in a preliminary statement, before the submission of Mr Osei-Owusu justified the setting up of the committee and its jurisdiction, against public outcry of conflict of interest by the committee.

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Mr Ghartey explained that he did not see any conflict of interest and that the committee was established under Order 191 of the Standing Orders of Parliament which gives the House the power to appoint a special or ad-hoc committee to investigate any matter of public importance.

Okudzeto Ablakwa, former deputy Education Minister

Opposition NDC MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa was one of the officials in the NDC administration, whose name was constantly on the lips of NPP communicators, accused of amassing wealth through abuse of public office.

The then opposition party alleged that the young Minister owned scads of fuel stations among other big investments across the country and overseas.

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However, responding to the allegations, Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa stated that the claims were unfounded and were mere pejorative speculations spread by the NPP to create opprobrium.

Dzifa Attivor, former Transport Minister (Bus branding saga)

Dzifa Aku Ativor was Minister of Transport until her resignation due to a controversial GH¢3.6m bus re-branding contract.

She was appointed in February 2013 by former President Mahama.

She attended the Evangelical Presbyterian Primary School at Abutia Teti between 1960 and 1970.

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Her secondary education was at the Kpedze Secondary School and the Peki Secondary School, both in the Volta region between 1970 and 1975.

She then trained at the Government Secretarial School qualifying as a Stenographer Secretary in 1981.

Mrs Ativor contested the Ho–West constituency primaries in 2008 but lost. She was however appointed Deputy Minister for Transport by the late former president John Evans Atta Mills from 2009 to January 2012.

After, former president John Mahama appointed her as the substantive Minister for Transport.

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Government’s decision to spend a whopping GH¢3.6 million on re-branding 116 buses, has angered many Ghanaians, with the majority questioning how that outrageous expenditure could be approved under the watch of the President.

Her resignation comes barely a day after a report was presented to the Chief of Staff; Mr. Julius Debrah, following an investigation he demanded into the controversial contract.

Details of the investigative report have not been made public yet. It is thus unclear why the Minister has chosen the path of resignation even before the report is made public.

Dzifa Attivor resigned after some seven Ghanaian citizensinstituted a court action against government over the controversial contract.

A detailed pro-forma invoice for the re-branding of the buses has revealed that stickers on each bus cost GH¢11, 000.

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The pro-forma invoice dated 17th July 2015, and signed by the Accounts Officer of Smarttys Management and Productions and copied to the Ministry of Transport, put the total cost of branding for each bus at GH¢30,420.

Smarttys Management and Productions is owned by Selassie Ibrahim, an actress cum entrepreneur and TV personality.

Alban Bagbin, former Works and Housing minister

Alban Kingsford Sumani Bagbin, was accused about the much-talked-about $10 billion STX Korean housing deal which has been a subject of heated controversy taking the matter to the door-steps of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The late Mills-led NDC government has been working on the US$10 billion housing deal with STX Korea for the construction of 200,000 houses across the country in the next five years, putting the average cost of each house at $50,000.

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The agreement, which was initially placed before Parliament was quickly withdrawn by the government upon realising that the loopholes in it included the non-provision of a leader for the $10 billion funding.

Though government claims the deal is the best answer to the over one million housing deficits in Ghana, the NPP and some stakeholders including the civil society organizations such as the Danquah institute and the Imani centre, have all raised issues with the terms of the agreement. No costing was made for each of the housing unit, raising questions about its transparency.

The STX deal, according to critics, would lead to the eventual mortgaging of Ghana’s oil.

On May 4, 2010, the Government sought to push through several loan agreements under a certificate of urgency when Parliament was on recess.

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One was a Suppliers Credit Financing Agreement between the Government of Ghana and STX Engineering and Construction Limited (a subsidiary of the STX Group, Korea) for an amount of $1, 525, 443, 468.00 to construct 30,000 housing units for the Security Services- with 20,000 units for the Police Service (including 10,240 units), and the remaining 10, 000 to be spread among the other security agencies, including the Military and the Prison Service.

Asiedu Nketia, NDC General Secretary

The General Secretary of the NDC has rejected conflict of interest allegations made against him over the construction of the Bui Dam project.

Johnson Asiedu Nketia, who was also a member of the Board of the Bui Authority is said to be a major supplier of blocks used in the construction of the project, a practice the opposition New Patriotic Party has cited as potential conflict of interest situation.

A former and current Chief Executive Officer of the Bui Project, Fred Oware accused the NDC scribe of selling the blocks at a higher price which has consequently increased the total cost of the project but Johnson Asiedu Nketia admitted selling the blocks to contractors of the project but vehemently rejected conflict of interest allegations.

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He said he noticed the seeming difficulties by subcontractors of the Bui project in buying blocks and therefore decided to extend his block factory.

Hannah Bissiw, former deputy Works and Housing Minister

Former deputy Works and Housing Minister Dr. Hannah Bissiw was accused of stinking corruption.

She was cited by anti-corruption group for a multi-million mansions she is said to have been built by her in the hometown.

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The group known as the Forum for Public Accountability (FoPA) accused Dr. Bissiw, among other offences, 'receives a per diem of GH¢800 per week instead of the rightful amount of GH¢200. Which fact means that she receives an impress exceeding her monthly income.'

The group said it was not possible for Ms. Bissiw to have 'in three months constructed a multi-billion twin mansion in her hometown, Techimantia' with just her genuine income.

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