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NDC paid Henry Lartey to attack me - Rawlings

Dr Henry Lartey, the flagbearer of the GCPP had earlier said the ex-president has lied to Ghanaians about the amount of money he received from Mr Abacha, saying Rawlings received $5million and not $2million as he had earlier claimed.

Former President Rawlings

Former President Jerry John Rawlings has alleged that persons within the governing National Democratic Congress financially induced the leader of the GCPP, Dr. Henry Lartey to vilify and destroy his reputation.

His comments come on the back of a petition by the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) for it to investigate an alleged cash gift former President Jerry John Rawlings’ is said to have received from late Nigerian leader Sani Abacha.

READ ALSO: Abacha-Rawlings Gift

In his petition, Dr Lartey asked: “The full context and/or reason(s) in which the funds were issued: In particular, were these funds issued in support of killing the prominent Nigerian environmental journalist Ken Sara-Wiwa?.”

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But the former President has denied the allegations, saying he is ready to face off with Dr. Lartey in all fronts including the use of a lie detector.

“About three days before his drama I got information that he was going to be financially rewarded for what he did and incidentally he was instigated not by people in the opposition.”

“Why are people worried about the level of integrity we’ve tried to maintain? We say we are Christians; we swear on the Bible, Muslims on the Koran; I’d like to invite people like him (Lartey) that we go traditional as well.

“That we invite the white man’s technology (lie detector) to also come and verify the truthfulness, the integrity of my word. And for him to be simply asked who paid him to do what he did?” Mr. Rawlings said.

Former President Jerry John Rawlings recently lashed out at critics who criticised him for receiving a cash gift from the former Nigerian president, saying it will be a triumph of evil if people believe such a 'dirty charge' against him.

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His comments follow an interview he had with The Guardian Newspaper in Nigeria in which he confirmed receiving  $2 million from Gen. Abacha.

In 1998, the Rawlings regime denied ever receiving the cash gift after the Chronicle Newspaper reported it.

He was also defended by NDC Members of Parliament when the issue was raised on the floor of the House at the time by the minority New Patriotic Party.

Rawlings resurrected the issue after he told the Guardian newspaper that he had received $2 million contrary to media reports that he received $5 million from Gen. Abacha.

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His critics have linked the gift to bribery, while others have hailed him for being honest on the matter.

In a push to defend his anti-corruption image, Rawlings told the Daily Graphic Newspaper in an interview that people should search for something else if they are looking for something negative about him.

He argued that his integrity will not allow him to accept a bribe.

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