Echoes From Craig Murray: NDC Gov�t Was Very Corrupt....He Alleges In His Book

�The NDC government was massively corrupt. There was one gratuitous example which especially annoyed me. A company called International Generics, registered in Southampton, had got loans totalling over �30 million from the Royal Bank of Scotland to construct two hotels, La Palm and Coco Palm. One was on the beach next to the Labadi Beach hotel, the other on Fourth Circular Road in Cantonments, on the site of the former Star Hotel. The loan repayments were guaranteed by the Export Credit Guarantee Department, and the time a British government agency designed to insure UK exporters against loss. In effect the British taxpayer was underwriting the export, and if the loan defaulted the British taxpayer would pay. �In fact, this is what happened, and the file crossed my desk because the British people were now paying out on defaulted payments to the Royal Bank of Scotland. So I went to look at the two hotels. �I found La Palm Hotel was some cleared land, some concrete foundations, and one eight room chalet without a roof. Coco Palm hotel didn�t exist at all. In a corner of the plot, four houses had been built by International Generics. As the housing market in Accra was very strong, these had been pre-sold, so none of the loan had gone into them. �I WAS ASTONISHED. THE PAPERS CLEARLY SHOWED THAT ALL �31.5 MILLION HAD BEEN FULLY DISBURSED BY THE ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND, AGAINST PROGRESS AND COMPLETION CERTIFICATES ON THE CONSTRUCTION. BUT IN TRUTH THERE WAS VIRTUALLY NO CONSTRUCTION. HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED? �The Chief Executive of International Generics was an Israeli named Leon Tamman. He was a close friend to, and a front for, Mrs. Rawlings. Tamman also had an architect�s firm, which had been signing off completion certificates for the non-existent work on the hotel. ALMOST ALL OF THE �30 MILLION WAS SIMPLY STOLEN BY TAMMAN AND MRS. RAWLINGS. �The Royal Bank of Scotland had plainly failed in due diligence, having paid out on completion of two buildings, one not started and one only just started. But the Royal Bank of Scotland really couldn�t give a toss, because the repayments and interest were guaranteed by the British taxpayer. Indeed I seemed to be the only one who did care. �THE RAWLINGSES HAD PUT SOME OF THEIR SHARE OF THIS LOOTED MONEY TOWARDS PAYMENTS ON THEIR BEAUTIFUL HOME IN DUBLIN. I WROTE REPORTS ON ALL THIS BACK TO LONDON, AND SPECIFICALLY URGED THE SERIOUS FRAUD OFFICE TO PROSECUTE TAMMAN AND MRS. RAWLINGS. I RECEIVED THE REPLY THAT THERE WAS NO �APPETITE� IN LONDON FOR THIS. �EVENTUALLY LA PALM DID GET BUILT, BUT WITH OVER $60 MILLION OF NEW MONEY TAKEN THIS TIME FROM SSNIT, THE GHANAIAN TAXPAYERS SOCIAL SECURITY AND PENSION FUND. COCO PALM NEVER DID GET BUILT, BUT TAMMAN CONTINUED TO DEVELOP IT AS A HOUSING ESTATE, USING ANOTHER COMPANY VEHICLE. TAMMAN HAS SINCE DIED. THE LOANS WERE DEFINITIVELY WRITTEN OFF BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AS PART OF GORDON BROWN�S HIPC DEBT RELIEF INITIATIVE. �That is but one example of a single scam, but it gives an insight into the way the country was looted. The unusual feature on this one was that the clever Mr. Tamman found a way to cheat the British taxpayer, via Ghana. �I still find it galling that the Royal Bank of Scotland also still got their profit, again from the British taxpayer.� (Credit: Excerpts From Craig Murray�s Book titled �THE CATHOLIC ORANGEMEN OF TOGO & OTHER CONFLICTS I HAVE KNOWN� � Page 124-126: First Edition 2009: Published By ATHOLL PUBLISHING 31 SINCLAIR GARDENS, WEST KENSINGTON, LONDON, W14 OAU). *EDITOR�s NOTE: Do we have to believe Mr. Craig Murray�s story as told above? Can Mr. Murray assist Ghanaians and the government or agencies such as SFO, CHRAJ, etc., with something of evidential value to support his allegations? Or do we as a nation and a people just have to �let sleeping dogs lie�? The New Crusading GUIDE has embarked upon an investigative journey back into history on the projects under reference and would as soon as possible bring to our readers and the general public our findings; all in the public/national interest. Stay tuned�