Legal Counsel to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Kow Essuman, has rejected claims that the President knows a self-described “Financial Architect” Alistair Mathias captured in a recent documentary by Aljazeera.
Aljazeera, in a four-part investigative documentary series, uncovered damning evidence of gold smuggling and money laundering syndicates in Zimbabwe, with Ghana implicated.
Undercover journalists posing as Chinese gangsters engaged Alistair Mathias, a self-described “Financial Architect” who has a track record of successfully orchestrating such syndicates.
Mathias revealed that he had executed similar schemes in Ghana and claimed to be good friends with its President, whom he also said used to be his lawyer.
Reacting to this comment, the Legal Counsel to President Akufo-Addo described Mathias’ allegation as spurious calling on Ghanaians to ignore it.
According to him, the President has not been in private practice since 2000 and his lawyer has never acted as Mathias’ counsel.
“The President has not been in private practice since 2000, neither has the President nor his law firm, Akufo-Addo, Prempeh and Co, acted as lawyer for this Alistair Mathias or Guldrest. The President does not know this Mathias or Guldrest. Ignore the spurious allegations,” Ekow Essuman wrote on Twitter.
Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has denied any recollection of acting as a lawyer for Mathias or his company, while Mathias himself has denied ever being awarded any tender by the Ghanaian government or entering into any government contracts in any African country.