Ghana’s former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, in 2006, sued the Daily Guide newspaper for libel following a publication about her owing the state GH¢2.8 billion.
According to Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, she did not owe the state any money and prayed the court to restrain Daily Guide from further publishing similar or other libelous statements or stories about her.
In the publication titled “Milking the Sacred Cow – Konadu owes 2.8 billion to the State", the former First Lady was accused of being connected to the Carridem Development Company (CDC), that owed the Government.
Read the full story originally published on January 30, 2006, on Ghanaweb
Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, the Former First Lady, on Monday told an Accra Fast Track High Court that she did not owe the Government of Ghana any money, "not even one cedi." Mrs Rawlings led by her Counsel, Mr Tony Lithur denied owing the Government of Ghana 2.8 billion cedis.
Mrs Rawlings made this known when she testified in a case in which she has sued the "Daily Guide" newspaper and Mr Ato Sam, alias Baby Ansabah and Mrs Gina Blay, Deputy Editor and Editor, respectively, of the "Daily Guide" and Western Publications, publishers of the "Daily Guide" for libel.
The newspaper, in its Wednesday, July 6, 2005, edition published a story titled, "Milking the Sacred Cow – Konadu owes 2.8 billion to the State." Nana Konadu further stated that she was not connected to any entity that owed the Government but indicated that she knew about an entity that managed monies for the Government.
She said Carridem Development Company (CDC), a limited liability entity, owed ECOBANK some money.
The Former First Lady, who was accompanied by Ms Hanny Sherry Ayittey, Coordinator of CDC, said in 1997, CDC applied for a facility from the Trade and Investment Programme (TIP) managed by the ECOBANK through the then Ministries of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Finance.
According to her the CDC, coordinated by Ms Ayittey accessed funds from TIP after it had come across adverts in the media. She explained that before one could access funds from TIP, one needed documents, which CDC had.
Nana Konadu said ECOBANK on November 4, 1997, after critically examining CDC’s documents, offered it 750 million cedis intended for non-formal traditional exports.Ms Ayittey signed for the Company while a director of ECOBANK, signed for the Bank.She said the 750- million-cedi facility was to rehabilitate the […]
