Hypocritical’ Zongo Minister Targets Media For Showing Prez’s Bribery Scandal

Minister for Inner City and Zongo Development, Mr. Mustapha Hamid is threatening the media, particularly the Multimedia Group for showing a documentary showing President Akufo Addo receiving an alleged US$40,000 bribe from a civil servant to maintain him in his position.

”We are coming after that Television station”, he threatened. I am sending notice to that Television station that showed that fake video”. He described it as defamatory of the President of Ghana.

”It was unethical and it was unprofessional” and we are not going to take it lying down, he said.

Mustapha’s outburst is coming on the heels of worries within the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) that such a video released close to the Presidential elections could be damaging to the prospects of the President. 

Yet, Mustapha Hamid had found himself at the exact opposite end of the table when his party the NPP was in opposition and were bracing for the 2016 Presidential elections.

The NPP piled several corruption allegations against the then-administration of John Dramani Mahama. Close to the elections, Mustapha Hamid who was then a communications spokesperson for the NPP, held a famous press conference where he cried over what he described as wanton corruption by the John Mahama administration, saying Ghana needs to be “rescued, Insha Allah”.

Yet, after four years in power after the Mahama administration, the NPP has been unable to substantiate many of the allegations it made while in opposition. The NPP government has been unable to successfully prosecute any member of the previous administration on the corruption allegations they made.

The few who have been dragged to court, like the alleged multi-million fertiliser scandal by the former COCOBOD boss, Dr. Opuni Frimpong, has been a tortuous legal battle that appears to have no end.

 Mustapha Ahmed is expressing anger at the Multimedia Group after its Adom TV network aired a documentary titled: “Who Watches the Watchman 2”.

That documentary released by Salis Newspaper sponsored by the NPP Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, showed scenes depicting President Akufo Addo receiving a fat brown envelope filled with US$40,000.

The money was allegedly to convince the President to shelve any plan to dismiss one Alhaji Abass Aworlu as the Director of the Urban Roads Department.

Government communicators are claiming the video was about Alhaji Abass’s wife making a campaign contribution to the President. However, the producers of the documentary said the scenes were captured in 2017, when President Akufo Add had already won the presidency and will have no need to personally receive funds for his campaign.

Besides, if it was indeed meant for his political campaign, critics question why a President marketed as a highly incorruptible man would receive such a huge amount from a civil servant whose salary was definitely not up to US$40,000.