Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Elikem Kotoko, says he would welcome the sight of former President Nana Akufo-Addo being “hauled to court” over what he describes as financial irregularities and organised corruption linked to the construction of the National Cathedral.
Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show, Kotoko accused the former president of masterminding what he called “an organised crime unit set up to siphon or launder state funds” under the guise of a religious project.
“Let me be frank with you, if wishes were horses, I would be happy to see even former president Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo being hauled to court to answer for that hole he dug, which seems to be an organised crime unit that he set up to siphon or launder state funds,” he said.
Kotoko drew a sharp contrast between Akufo-Addo’s actions and those of Côte d’Ivoire’s former minister Boahen, who he said financed a place of worship using private resources.
“Our neighbour in Côte d’Ivoire, Boahen, prayed to God and built a place of worship with his own funds. Then President Akufo-Addo, when in opposition, promised God to build for Him—but ended up using public money. This is somebody who could even scam God,” he added.
The visibly upset Forestry Commission executive criticised the moral failures of Ghana’s senior leaders, saying they had betrayed the values they were meant to pass on to the next generation.
“I am a young person, and I frown so much on elderly people not holding in fidelity the virtues that we thought they were supposed to hand over to us,” he lamented.
He further claimed that the National Cathedral project became “another avenue to scam the entire nation,” accusing prominent religious figures of enabling corruption under the banner of faith.
“This whole National Cathedral thing was just another avenue to scam the entire nation, using notable religious leaders. Many of them said not a pesewa of public funds would be used—yet the Finance Minister was right there leading the charge,” Kotoko argued.
He also challenged official reports about the project’s progress, calling them misleading and dishonest.
“At the time he read the budget, he told us rehabilitation work was 90%. A toddler who visits that place will tell you not even 5% has been done,” he said.
Kotoko accused Akufo-Addo of exploiting Ghanaians’ religious sensitivity to evade scrutiny.
“President Nana Addo only used our vulnerability as a people—knowing that once you mention God, we hesitate to question or criticise. So he used God to scam all of us,” he said.
He called for immediate investigations and possible prosecution, saying that holding former leaders accountable would serve as a lesson for those who might misuse public office in the future.
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