A-Plus Nails NPP “Big Wigs” In US$ 22 million Extortion Allegation

Kwame Asare Obeng, an anti-corruption campaigner, musician and a former insider in the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has made a startling revelation saying members of the party extorted a staggering US$22 million from businessman Seidu Agongo to protect his ailing Bank.

Seidu Agongo is the founder of the Heritage Bank whose license was revoked in the recent Banking sector clean-up. Apparently, he was promised that if he parted with the amount, they will protect his ailing bank from being collapsed by the Bank of Ghana (BoG).

In a Facebook live broadcast on Sunday, A Plus also revealed that some NPP bigwigs, used the name of the party’s presidential candidate at the time, Nana Akufo-Addo, to extract an alleged sponsorship of some GHC7 million from Mr Agongo.

“…The people around you used your name to take and extort money from Seidu Agongo. So, even if Mr Agongo stole any money from the state, half of it went to some of your appointees and some NPP officials,” A-Plus challenged President Akufo Addo.

“Some of your appointees were thieves in opposition and continue to be thieves in government…Once a thief, always a thief”.

He revealed the double standards of the NPP which had insisted that Seidu Agongo was corrupt. “You kept clamouring that the man was corrupt and that you would jail him should you win power, not knowing you were taking money from him for your election campaign”, he noted.

A Plus did not mention names but has promised to give those details directly to President Akufo Addo. “I’ve decided not to mention names now because of the love I have for President Nana Akufo-Addo but whoever dares me will have himself to blame”, he said.

 “I’m waiting to meet the President one-on-one to tell him certain very sensitive things. I’ll tell him directly that so-so-and-so used your name to extort money from Seidu Agongo and others.”

This is not the first time A-Plus had made similar revelations against top appointees of the Akufo Addo administration. In the early parts of the administration, he revealed how the Chiefs of Staff at the Presidency were extorting money from business people.

The matter has been in and out of court as A-Plus was sued. He has however insisted on the allegation and has promised not to back down.