GCPP petitions CHRAJ - Over US$5m Abacha gift to Rawlings
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) says it has received a petition from the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) to investigate former President J. J. Rawlings.
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The petition is in respect of US$5 million allegedly received by former President Rawlings as a gift from Nigeria’s late military leader, Sani Abacha, in 1998.
Although former President Rawlings denied the allegation 18 years ago, he was reported to have told Nigeria's Guardian newspaper in an interview that he had received a US$2 million gift from the Nigerian leader and not US$5 million, as was reported.
Petition assessment
Affirming the receipt of a petition for investigations into the matter, a Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ, Mr Joseph Whittal, said, “Yes, there is a petition of that nature from the GCPP against Mr and Mrs Rawlings, the former First Family, and it is the party (GCPP) that we recognise as the complainant.”
He, however, indicated that the commission was still assessing the petition, which was received on September 30, 2016, to determine if it was worth investigating, since the GCPP had raised issues that bordered on mandate, timelines, statutory obligations, among others.
He further stated that “by the end of next week, we should see our way clear to determine whether we are accepting or declining the petition”.
“We have since acknowledged receiving it, indicating that we will do our initial assessment to determine whether it is a matter we can and will investigate,” Mr Whittal added.
Rawlings responds
Meanwhile, former President Rawlings has recalled what he described as the “vile stuff” that the GCPP flag bearer, Dr Henry Lartey, said about him recently concerning the money said to have been donated by Abacha and said he wondered why every attempt was being made to deliberately misrepresent and sully his reputation.
“About three days before this drama, I got information that he was going to be financially rewarded for what he did, and, incidentally, he was instigated not by people in opposition.
“Why are people worried about the level of integrity we’ve tried to maintain? We say we are Christians; we swear on the Bible, Muslims on the Koran.
“I’d like to invite people like him (Lartey) that we go traditional as well. That we invite the white man’s technology (lie detector) to also come and verify the truthfulness, the integrity of my word. And for him to be simply asked who paid him to do what he did,” former President Rawlings said.
He commented on the petition during a visit by some queenmothers, led by Mamaga Noviode of Sogakope, to his residence in Accra.