Akufo-Addo, Bawumia deny contract deals with Nyantakyi

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, have vehemently denied ever discussing contract deals with Mr Kwesi Nyantakyi, the President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

In an exposé by the ace investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, on the rot in Ghana’s football administration which was premiered in Accra on Wednesday, President Akufo-Addo and Dr Bawumia were captured in the video expressing shock at the conduct of Mr Nyantakyi, who created the impression that he (Nyantakyi) was capable of getting investors to influence the President and the Vice-President with $5 million and $3 million, respectively, for juicy contracts.

In the footage, Mr Nyantakyi had told the “investors”, who turned up to be undercover investigators, that a Deputy Minister of Transport, Mr Anthony Karbo, had told him (Mr Nyantakyi) that it was important for the “investors” to pay $8 million to the President and his vice in order to win juicy contracts in Ghana.

At the premiering of the video, titled: “Number 12: When greed and misconduct become the norm”, President Akufo-Addo was captured on the video saying: “I have never discussed business with Nyantakyi.”

He said he had no idea what Mr Nyantakyi’s dealings with the so-called investors were for the GFA President to draw his name into such transactions.

Describing Mr Nyantakyi’s claims as “completely false”, the President said he was astonished to find that Mr Nyantakyi had used his name in such manner.

“There is no iota of truth in his allegations,” a visibly disappointed President added.

Dr Bawumia

For his part, Dr Bawumia said he had, since his assumption of office, never sat with Mr Nyantakyi to discuss any business deals.

According to the Vice-President, he had only met Mr Nyantakyi at official functions and not on a personal basis.

He said Mr Nyantakyi had made those false representations just to deceive people.

He, accordingly, denied Mr Nyantakyi’s claims.

The premiere

Patrons at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) were treated to two hours of bribery of referees, match commissioners, officials of the GFA, the National Sports Authority (NSA) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Seventy-seven Ghanaian referees were captured in the video allegedly taking bribes ranging between GH¢300 and GH¢5,000 to influence their decisions in football matches.

Six officials of the NSA were caught in the video allegedly making visa deals, while others were caught entering into match-fixing deals.

Few good men

But, in all those scenes, two men stood out — they refused to take bribes. They are Mr Kwaku Eyiah, a lawyer, and Mr J.F. Mensah, a match commissioner with the GFA.

Queue

Hundreds of enthusiastic Ghanaians thronged to the AICC to view the video. Some of them told the Daily Graphic that they got to the centre as early as 5 a.m. in order not to miss out on anything.

Security personnel deployed to the venue had a tough time controlling the milling crowd which attempted to force its way into the AICC auditorium.

The crowd outside the auditorium defied a downpour in anticipation that they would be allowed to watch the video after it had been premiered.