President John Mahama has been cleared of bribery allegations concerning the controversial Ford gift he received from Burkinabe contractor, Djibril Kanazoe.
The youth wing of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) led by Ernesto Yeboah petitioned the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate President Mahama when news emerged that he had received Ford Expedition vehicle valued at $100,000 as gift from a Burkinabe contractor, Mr Djibril Kanazoe, who had executed a contract for the Ghana Mission in Burkina Faso at a seemingly high cost.
Just a few months after the gift, Mr Kanozoe's company was selected through sole sourcing to construct including the €25.9million Dodo Pepeso-Nkwanta road, the report disclosed.
This raised eyebrows with many accusing the President of taking a bribe to award contracts and the CPP Youth took the matter to CHRAJ.
But in a 78-page report, CHRAJ indicated though President Mahama violated the gift policy with regard to his decision to accept the vehicle, the Ford vehicle was not a bribe.
According to CHRAJ, it was satisfied that the gift in question formed part of gifts prohibited under the Gift Policy under the Code of Conduct and that although the evidence showed that President Mahama subsequently surrendered the gift to the State, the action nonetheless contravened the gift policy, Graphic Online reported.
CHRAJ said it has evidence showing Mahama submitted the Ford Expedition gift from the Burkinabe contractor to the State. The Commission also established the President was not culpable of conflict of interest, bribery or fraud in relation to the manner in which the vehicle was given to him.