A Burkinabe national, Mr. Djibril Kanazoe, a contractor, is alleged to have given President Mahama a Ford Expedition vehicle in 2012, as payback for winning a couple contracts from Ghana.
Myjoyonline reports that Mr Kanazoe gave the luxury car to the President in 2012 as a gift, after winning a contract to construct a 46 kilometre stretch of road in the country.
Kanazoe has also subsequently won several contracts, including the $650,000 contract to construct a wall around the Ghanaian embassy in Ougadougou, and a portion of the Eastern Corridor Road project.
The contractor was interviewed by Joy Fm’s Manasseh Azure Awuni, to whom he admitted having close ties to the President. However, he reportedly turned belligerent and rude at the allegations of unduly influencing the President to win contracts.
Manasseh writes in his expose…
The renowned Burkinabe contractor does not shy away from talking about his closeness with Ghana’s President. What upsets him and causes him to stop the interview and seize my voice recorder is what he says is the overly probing nature of the interview.
“Where it is going, it’s too far for me,” he says. “If you tell me we want to talk about this thing, we talk about it. We finish; you jump into another thing to trap me. I won’t agree…This is a trap!” he yells, and descends to the ground floor to look for his press attaché.”
The contractor, Director-General of the eponymous Groupe Kanazoe, had admitted in another portion of the interview to sending the President the gift, who called him to thank him for it.
But he insists it’s a gift to a friend and not for services rendered.
When asked what the President had done to deserve a gift, he simply replied.
“He is my friend.”
The Communication Ministry has denied that the President was influenced by any gifts in the awarding of contracts.
Read full story on Joy Fm here.