Al Jazeera’s “Gold Mafia” documentary has received a retraction and apology, according to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Parts of the documentary spread false information about the president of Ghana, according to a letter to Al Jazeera from Nana Bediatuo Asante, the executive secretary to the president.
Parts of the documentary that indicted Akufo-Addo, according to Nana Bediatuo Asante’s letter, were malicious, defamatory, and part of a deliberate effort to damage the president of Ghana’s reputation.
In a letter to the media outlet, the president’s Secretary, Nana Bediatuo Asante, made the demand, “It is imperative that you act forthwith on this request within seven (7) days from the date of receipt of this letter.”
The administration denied that Akufo-Addo was involved in any of the claims made in the Gold Mafia documentary, which was made public a few weeks ago.
Alistair Mathias was caught on tape boasting about his connections in Ghana and the way his money-laundering organization runs in an undercover Al Jazeera investigation documentary.
Mathias disclosed that he had carried out similar schemes in Ghana and asserted that he was good friends with the president of that country, who he also claimed had once served as his lawyer.
“In Ghana, I take tenders, road construction, procurement, supplying different things, oil, this that. There, all the politicians get taken care of, indirectly because it allows me to do all my other stuff freely.”
“For example, Ghana government, I get the contract. I subcontract it to you, $100 million contract. Ghana government pays me $100 million. I give it to you, and you say it’s $80 million.”
“In this scenario, the outstanding $20 million out of the inflated $100 million is shared per an arrangement reached between Alistair and the said politician,” he added.
“I’ll have an arrangement with them, and they get 15… I’ll probably get 5 million. I keep all of it in Dubai. Whenever they want it, they just tell me and I send it.”
“Ghana’s President is a good friend of mine, in fact, he was my lawyer,” he said.
Using Mathias to accept bids for road construction, procurement, and supply, he explained that the involved politicians do not keep assets in their own names but instead rely on proxies.
