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How 208 Luxury Cars Disappeared At Presidency After Change Of Government In Ghana
President Akufo-Addo of Ghana beat the then incumbent John Dramani Mahama in polls in December, 2016.
It was Ghana’s seventh election under the 1992 constitution. It was the first time an incumbent was also defeated.
President Akufo-Addo was sworn into office on January 7, 2017.
Upon assumption of office, President Akufo-Addo, would discover that over 200 luxury vehicles in the pool of Ghana’s presidency had disappeared.
The only official vehicle was a BMW that was purchased a decade prior when Ghana turned 50 years. This would result in President Akufo-Addo having to use his personal vehicle for trips outside the capital.
According to a vehicle audit, it was shown that a total of 208 vehicles could not be accounted for the change of government.
According to President Akufo-Addo’s spokesperson, Eugene Arhin, the president’s fleet is missing 208 cars that includes 122 Toyota Landcruisers, 43 Landcruiser Prados and 13 Mercedes Benz luxury cars.
He says the new government met 74 Toyota Land Cruisers instead of 196 and 20 out of 73 land Cruiser Prados. There are also 11 instead of 24 Mercedes-Benz cars. He added that only 2 Toyota Avalons could be accounted for instead of 28. Out of 6 BMWs, only two are available.
The Presidency had to set up a task force comprised of various security units to investigate the matter that Mr.Arhin has described as strange.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have dismissed the claims, accusing the government of making excuses in order to buy new vehicles.
Ghana’s new government is trying to track down more than 200 cars missing from the president’s office, a government spokesman has said.
The ruling party counted the cars a month after taking power following victory in December’s elections.
After previous transfers of power, state-owned cars have been seized from officials who did not return them.
A minister in the former government said the implied allegation of wrongdoing by his colleagues was false.
Former Communication Minister Omane Boamah told the BBC’s Thomas Naadi that this was “a convenient way for the new government to justify the purchase of new vehicles”.
In making the statement Mr Arhin revealed the president’s office was meant to have more than 300 cars but he did not divulge the purpose of these vehicles.
Nana Akufo-Addo from the the New Patriotic Party won the Ghanaian presidential election at the beginning of December, taking power from John Mahama, of the National Democratic Congress.
