Ex-President Jerry John Rawlings insists the gift he received from Nigerian President General Sani Abacha was $2 million and stressed that he used it for the benefit of all Ghanaians.
Addressing a gathering at the 38th Anniversary of the June 4, 1979 uprising held in the Upper West Region on Sunday, Mr. Rawlings noted that the $2 million gift from General Abacha nearly cost his presidency when then opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) sought to impeach him.
It’s however claimed that Mr. Rawlings received $5 million but the former President used the occasion to dismiss the claims, saying “when General Abubakar took over, I told him to watch out that the report in the papers about $5million was $2million and not $5million”.
Responding to the issue on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’, seasoned journalist Abdul Malik Kweku Baako voiced the lies in Mr. Rawlings’ claims.
He stated emphatically that the gift that General Abacha gave the Ex-President was indeed 5 million dollars and not 2 million as earlier told Ghanaians.
To him, he has in-depth knowledge of the transaction.
He noted that he knows the person who gave the Ex-President the money, adding that the messenger received the gift for Mr. Rawlings at the Airforce Base.
“So, the 2 million he’s talking of; who did he give to? Ghana or NDC or his own? Was the consolidated fund missing? There was no consolidated fund in Ghana? The thing is he indeed collected 5 million,” he said.