Mahama’s decision to “hijack” Veep’s residence not justified - Majority Leader
It is not the decision of Parliament that former President John Dramani Mahama should keep the No. 3 Prestige Link residence at Cantonments in Accra as part of his retirement package, the Majority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has said.
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The Transition Act states that the former President should be offered an official retirement home and an office.
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Following from that, Mr Mahama has indicated that he would like to have Bungalow No.3, Prestige Link, Cantonments in Accra which he currently resides and its adjoining facilities as his official home and Bungalow No.6, 3rd Avenue, Ridge, Accra as his office
There have been suggestions that Parliament had approved that Mr Mahama keeps the current residence as part of his retirement package.
But explaining in a radio interview on Joy FM, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said: “That is not the decision of Parliament.”
“If the President requires that, I think the relevant authority is that he may have to dialogue with the current [NPP] administration. Parliament, I must emphasize did not say that where he is now, should be the residential facility to be given to him. That was not the decision from Parliament.”
Read also: I did not hijack my official residence - Mahama
Section 10 (1) of the Transition Act, states that the incumbent President and Vice President shall each vacate the official residences before the day of the swearing of the person elected as the new President.
It continuous that if either of them so desires, they should move into an alternate official residence.
The No.3 Prestige Link residence was not initially earmarked as a presidential residence. It was rather reserved for Vice Presidents.
President Mahama moved there whilst he was Vice President from 2009 to 2012 and after becoming President in 2012, he was expected to move out of that house, but he continued to stay there.
Responding, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said: “He ought to have vacated that residence. He first occupied the place when he was the Vice President. When he transformed into a President, he did not leave that place.”
“The Jubilee House otherwise known as the Flagstaff House has an official residence for our Presidents, so he was required to be there, he opted not to be there and allowed that residence to lie fallow and rather encumber where he is residing now.”
“So I will think that, even if he requires to stay there, there should be an official request to that effect and then if the current administration will grant same, it will lie on them.”
“But as far as I know, it is the official residence for the Vice President… the Transition Act provides that if even that was the official residence of the president, which he was until a few days ago and he wanted to maintain that as his residency, he ought to have moved out and thereafter put in a request, which if granted will then mean, he comes back to occupy the place.
"So on all forms, it cannot be justified where he is but the final decision is with the relevant authority," he said.
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