IBRAHIM
MAHAMA, brother of President Mahama, has described as “wicked” an
alleged defamatory statement made about him and the president by Bernard
Antwi Boasiako aka ‘Wontumi,’ the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New
Patriotic Party (NPP).
“Wontumi said dangerous and wicked lies
about me and President Mahama when he told a huge crowd at Obuasi that
we had stolen state money which we had used to buy a plane for luxurious
trips to South Africa whilst the masses suffered,” he stated.
Addressing
a packed High Court 7 in Kumasi presided over by Charles Adjei Wilson
on Wednesday, Ibrahim stated that he was a prominent businessman who
owned four big companies which offered employment to 4,500 people in the
country.
Ibrahim, who was for the first time giving evidence in
court in a case he sued Wontumi for GH¢5 million for peddling falsehood
to defame him in public, insisted that he was a decent person who had
acquired his wealth through hard work and genuine means.
According
to him, all that Wontumi said about him during a rally at Obuasi on
March 30, 2014 were lies, adding that his lawyers initially wrote to
Wontumi to retract the story for peace to prevail but Wontumi refused.
He
said his hard work had helped him to establish large companies such as
Engineers and Planners, MBG Ghana, Engineers and Planners Construction
Ltd and Asutware Farms, adding that his wealth was not acquired
illegally.
Gov’t Official
Ibrahim, who
was led by his lawyer, Charles Zwennes, stated that he was not part of
President Mahama’s government therefore Wontumi’s wild allegation that
he and the president were frequently increasing fuel prices to enrich
themselves was false.
“I am not part of the committee that set
oil prices in the country. In fact, I don’t work in my brother’s
government therefore it is not true that we have been increasing fuel
prices to enrich ourselves as Wontumi stated on the recorded tape,”
Ibrahim pointed out.
Private Jet
Ibrahim
stated again that it was not true that his brother Mahama owned a
private plane which they used for luxurious trips to South Africa,
explaining that “I also don’t own a private plane. The plane that I use
was purchased by my company, Engineers and Planners, for work purposes
and not for luxurious trips as he claimed.”
He said he didn’t
know Wontumi personally prior to the defamatory case involving them,
noting that he had only heard about Wontumi in the media, adding that he
was surprised when Wontumi suddenly decided to defame him without
provocation.
Drama
Even though
proceedings generally went on smoothly, there was however a bit of drama
as Charles Zwennes and Egbert Faibille, counsel for Ibrahim and Wontumi
respectively, occasionally clashed over how the proceedings were going
but both lawyers quickly reached a compromise for the case to proceed.
The
case has been adjourned to April 7 and 8 this year, when Ibrahim Mahama
is expected to continue with his evidence to the court. Ibrahim was
once again accompanied to court by his uncle, Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe but
Wontumi was absent in court. |
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