Owning $133K properties in Dubai is no big deal given my work history

The former Member of Parliament for Nabdam, Moses Asaga has dispelled allegations of wrongdoing following a report suggesting he acquired a property in Dubai through dubious means.

These allegations stem from a report by the UK-based think tank, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). The report, titled “How Dirty Money Finds a Home in Dubai Real Estate,” was published on May 14, 2024, and implicated several former appointees of the Mahama administration, including Moses Asaga and Inusah Fuseini. It suggested that these individuals acquired real estate properties in Dubai worth millions of dollars during their tenure.

The report also highlighted Dubai’s reputation for financial secrecy, suggesting it has become a sanctuary for funds from questionable sources.

In an interview with Accra-based Citi FM, the former lawmaker rubbished the claims, brandishing them as political machinations meant to impugne his personality. He disclosed that he was in the position to legally acquire or purchase a property worth $133,000, citing his extensive career at Ecobank, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), and postion as Deputy Minister of Finance and Minister for Employment.

He challenged the narrative of wrongdoing by comparing property prices in Ghana, where new apartments are sold for upwards of $200,000 and luxury residences in Trassaco which can fetch between $1 million and $5 million.

“I thought I had done something criminal and corrupt worth investigating. $133, 000, shouldn’t I be able to own such an investment? What are the prices of Trasaco properties $1m- $3m who are staying there? Is it not politicians and majority NPP functionaries? Has the OCCRP gone to put a story on them? This is a political machination.

“So, they think for my 30-year working life I should not have an investment of that paltry amount. Before politics, I worked with Ecobank, and GNPC and was Deputy Minister of Finance, Minister for Employment, and CEO of NPA. I could not afford an investment of $133,000 for a student one-bedroom apartment. What is the crime and corruption involved in this?”

“In Ghana, new apartments are being sold for $200,000 plus, and Trasaco is $1m–$5m. Who stays in them is [it] not bankers, CEOs of GNPC, COCOBOD, BOST, and politicians,” he queried.