Ghanaian politically exposed persons across the board risk increased suspicion and harassment if the Dubai allegation and the recent report of large cash seizures at a London airport are not investigated, North Tongu lawmaker Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said.
Mr. Ablakwa emphasized that it is in Ghana’s supreme interest and the interest of all politically exposed persons that these reports are thoroughly investigated.
The Dubai accusations surfaced following a report by the UK-based think tank, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which implicated several former appointees of the Mahama administration, including Asaga and Inusah Fuseini.
The OCCRP report, titled “How Dirty Money Finds a Home in Dubai Real Estate,” published on May 14, 2024, suggested that these individuals had amassed real estate in Dubai worth millions of dollars during their tenure in power.
The report also highlighted Dubai’s reputation for financial secrecy, suggesting it has become a sanctuary for funds from questionable sources.
In a post on his X platform, Mr. Ablakwa said, “Ghana’s anti-corruption institutions and diplomatic missions abroad must take keen interest in all the corruption reports emanating from various international quarters, including the Dubai allegations and recent reports of large seizures of millions of cash at a London airport.”
“It is in the supreme interest of Ghana’s international image, and in the interest of all politically exposed persons that these reports are thoroughly investigated.
“Ghanaian politically exposed persons across the divide risk increased suspicion, harassment at airports and may regrettably assume pariah status if these grave allegations of grand graft are not properly dealt with.”
Meanwhile, one of the politically exposed persons named in the report, Moses Asaga, a former Member of Parliament for Nabdam in the Upper East Region, denied claims of owning illicitly acquired properties in Dubai.
“I thought I had done something criminal and corrupt worth investigating. $133,000—shouldn’t I be able to own such an investment? What are the prices of Trasaco properties, $1 million to $3 million? Who is staying there? Is it not politicians and majority NPP functionaries? Has the OCCRP gone to put a story on them? This is a political machination,” he stated.
