Ghana's vice president cited in £40K ‘Chocfinger’ lobbying saga

Vice President John Dramani Mahama has allegedly been cited by UK media reports for being lobbied to help Armajaro Holdings’ trading ban lifted in Ghana.
Conservative cabinet minister, Andrew Mitchell was reported to have intervened on behalf of the owner of Armajaro Holdings, Mr. Ward, nicknamed ‘Chocfinger’ after £40,000 donations were made to his parliamentary office between August 2006 and December 2009, according to the UK Sunday Times in its October 31 publication captioned ‘Chocfinger’s Tory donation pays off’.
The company also gave £50,000 to the Conservative Party in May 2004.

Armajaro Holdings was among several other cocoa buying companies banned in Ghana following their alleged involvement in the smuggling of cocoa beans to neighbouring Cote d’ Ivoir.
Their under dealings were uncovered by investigative reporter, Anas Aremeyaw Anas in an extensive clampdown on smuggled cocoa beans in the western corridors of Ghana recently.
‘No wrong doing’
However, Vice President John Mahama has denied any wrong doing for his involvement in helping Armajaro Holdings gets its trade ban lifted.
His (Vice President John Mahama) speaking on Joy news said “we remember meeting with the British Minister in charge of African Affairs and he raised an issue with Armajaro and their concern was that if an employee of the company is caught committing an offence, you don’t embark on a collective punishment of the entire company and this is normal”.
According to him, the Vice President directed the affected company to petition the Ghana Cocoa Board on the concerns raised for redress.
According to the UK dailymail, Mr Ward had approached Vice President Mahama over a ban that had been imposed on his firm in Ghana, and asked him to lobby against the restriction ‘at a presidential level’.
Mr Mitchell, a Tory, apparently phoned the British High Commissioner in the West African state over the matter, even though it was strictly outside his department’s remit.
His officials also contacted the Foreign Office to say that the partial ban on Armajaro Holdings – imposed amid allegations that one of its contractors had been smuggling cocoa – required ‘urgent attention’.
Foreign Office minister Henry Bellingham then lobbied Ghana’s vice-president on behalf of Mr Ward’s company. The ban is said to have been lifted in all but one of the country’s districts – the one where the smuggling allegations occurred – in August.
The ministerial code according to the UK dailymail states: ‘Ministers must ensure that no conflict arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between their public duties and their private interests, financial or otherwise.’
Internal government documents disclosed under freedom of information laws suggest Foreign Office civil servants raised questions as to why the Government should intervene to help Mr Ward’s company.
However, a spokesman for the Foreign Office has also denied any wrongdoing in their intervention to help Armajaro Holdings gets its trade ban lifted.
Mr. Mitchell’s office according to the SundayTimes also insists of doing no wrong since laid down ministerial procedures were followed in addressing the issue.
Andrew Mitchell faces questions over ‘chocfinger’
Meanwhile, the UK Independent reports that cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell faces a parliamentary inquiry into his links with Mr. Ward, the cocoa magnate who donated £40,000 to his political office.
Sources close to the minister insisted that proper procedures were followed. But a Labour MP last night referred the case to the Commons standards watchdog, claiming the contacts between the two men raised serious questions about the minister's conduct, report The Independent.

Caption: John Dramani Mahama, Vice President of Ghana.