Kufuor rejects GH¢90,000 ex-gratia cheque

Former president Kufuor wants to understand on which document the ex-gratia payment was based Former President John Kufuor has rejected a cheque presented to him by government as his ex-gratia payment. According to the former president, the cheque was presented without any documentation or details. Spokesperson for the former president, Frank Agyekum, tells Joy News the amount indicated on the cheque falls short of Mr. Kufuor's retirement package. He said he did not know on which set of recommendations the cheque was based: the Chinery-Hesse committee report or the Ishmael Yamson report. Mr Agyekum said the cheque was also sent to the former President without any accompanying letter. The former President’s action follows comments by Minority Leader Osei-Kyei Mensah Bonsu, that amounts paid Parliamentarians exceeded the figure recommended by the Ishmael Yamson report. The Ishmael Yamson report reviewed recommendations by the Mary Chinery-Hesse committee constituted by Mr Kufuor. Under the Chinery-Hesse report, ex-officials are paid amounts equivalent to seven months’ of each year served times the number of years served, while the Yamson committee report recommended four months. The MPs have received six months’ per each year served, raising questions about which report the payment was based on. Former President Kufuor and several government officials were not paid their ex-gratia packages until late last year when cheques were issued for the payment. Mr Agyekum indicated that although the office of the former president has sent correspondence to the Presidency to seek further understanding on the matter, nothing has so far come out of it. Source: Myjoyonline.com/Ghana