Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Elikem Kotoko, has said he would welcome the prosecution of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over alleged financial irregularities linked to the construction of the National Cathedral, which he described as “an organised crime unit set up to siphon or launder state funds.”
Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show, Mr. Kotoko said he would be pleased to see the former president held accountable for what he called “a well-orchestrated scheme disguised as a religious project.”
“Let me be frank with you — if wishes were horses, I would be happy to see even former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo 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 passionately.
Mr. Kotoko drew comparisons between the former Ghanaian leader and Côte d’Ivoire’s former minister, Boahen, who, according to him, funded a place of worship with private resources — unlike Akufo-Addo, who, he alleged, “even scammed God.”
“Our neighbour in Côte d’Ivoire, Boahen, prayed to his God and built a place of worship using private funds. But President Akufo-Addo, while in opposition, promised God he would build a cathedral — a promise meant to be fulfilled in his first term — yet he used public funds to do so. This is someone who could even scam God,” he stated.
Expressing disappointment in the ethical standards of Ghana’s elder statesmen, Mr. Kotoko lamented that the country’s youth no longer had moral examples to look up to.
“I am a young person, and I frown so much on elderly people not upholding the virtues we expected them to pass down to us,” he said.
He further alleged that the National Cathedral project was “another avenue to defraud the nation,” claiming that prominent religious figures were unknowingly used as cover for acts of corruption.
“This whole National Cathedral thing was just another avenue to scam the entire nation, using some very notable religious leaders. Many of them spoke highly of it and claimed no public funds would be used — yet today, it’s clear that wasn’t true,” he asserted.
Mr. Kotoko also criticized inconsistencies in government reports about the project’s progress, noting the disparity between official statements and the reality on the ground.
“At the time the Finance Minister read the budget, he said rehabilitation works were 90% complete. A toddler who visits that place can tell you not even 5% has been done,” he remarked.
He accused the former president of exploiting Ghanaians’ religious sensitivity to shield himself from scrutiny.
“When it comes to the National Cathedral, President Akufo-Addo took advantage of our vulnerability as a people — our reverence for God — knowing that anything associated with religion is difficult to criticise. He used God to scam all of us,” he said.
Mr. Kotoko concluded by calling for a swift and thorough investigation into the matter, insisting that those responsible must face justice to serve as a deterrent to future leaders.
