Kwame Jantuah, a prominent member of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and legal practitioner, has waded into the ongoing controversy surrounding a viral video of the Acting CEO of the Ghana Gold Board, Sammy Gyamfi, handing over U.S. dollar notes to self-styled evangelist Nana Agradaa.
Speaking on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, Jantuah pushed back against the wave of criticism, arguing that the uproar over the currency used is misplaced and hypocritical given the state of Ghana’s economy.
“Look, we should not be hypocritical. In this country, when we read the budget, what do we read our budget in? Do we quote only cedis? Is our economy not partly dollarized? So what are you talking about?” he asked.
Jantuah further questioned the scale of the outrage, especially in comparison to past controversies involving public officials.
“And who do you compare the magnitude of Cecilia Dapaah to the magnitude of Sammy Gyamfi? Even if it were 1000 dollars, compared to Cecilia Dapaah. Can you compare the two? Which will raise eyebrows?” he argued.
He added that the reaction would have been different had the transaction been conducted in cedis. “If this money were cedis, would we hear anything? It’s because it’s in dollars,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has since forgiven Sammy Gyamfi over the incident, which had triggered strong reactions within and beyond the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
