A Private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu, is insisting that former President John Dramani Mahama returns all ex-gratia paid to him if indeed he wants to scrap the retirement benefits as promised.
Speaking on NEAT FM, lawyer Martin Kpebu said Mr Mahama’s believability will be in doubt if he refuses to return what he has benefited from and now proposing to scrap it if he becomes President again.
“Until he returns all his ex-gratia, he is not credible to be President again,” he told host Kwesi Aboagye.
Lawyer Kpebu’s comment comes after the former President said he is not in the position now to return the retirement benefits he has received because he has no other source of income as a ‘pensioner’.
“I have spent the money already and now I am a Pensioner, where am I going to get that money to pay back? I am unemployed but they say bring yours to show you have good faith, I have no source of income, and you say I shouldn’t work.
“They say the President should not hold the office of profits so you gave it to me, I spent it then you come and say I should refund it, where am I going to refund it from?” Mr Mahama lamented.
But Lawyer Kpebu said “He [Mr Mahama] can use his campaign donations money to pay back some of his ex-gratia. Until then, he is not credible.”