Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has boldly stated he does not regret withdrawing the diplomatic passport and courtesies of the late Jerry John Rawlings.
Reports suggest that, in the year 2001, after former President Rawlings left office, he was no longer accorded courtesies that were due him under the provisions of the 1992 Constitution.
“Although it was embedded in the 1992 Constitution that neither the President nor the Foreign Minister has the power to vary the pensions and facilities available to the former President to his disadvantage during his lifetime, those privileges were withdrawn by the then Kufour administration.
Also, Rawlings had his monthly pension re-computed based on the Greenstreet report. The Greenstreet report was the recommendation of a committee set up by the Kufuor administration to discuss ex gratia awards for ex-Presidents of Ghana”, reports stated.
The NPP government led by Kufuor retrieved all state vehicles in the custody of ex-President Jerry John Rawlings, among others.
In a resurfaced old video of former President Kufuor, he revealed he never regretted withdrawing the diplomatic passport and courtesies of former President Jerry John Rawlings for smearing him on an international stage.
Speaking in the resurfaced video, in an interview with Bola Ray, when quizzed if he regrets withdrawing the former President Jerry John Rawlings diplomatic courtesies, Kufuour stated, “Do you know what he did to me, please don’t let us go into that. Not pay back, but I was the sitting head of state, he was formal and sitting in a way that personifies the state”.
“When you go out to some foreign lands to speak, to describe your sitting head of state as incompetent and a disgrace to the nation, suppose it was his time, you think you could have said that about him and come back to Ghana?”.
“He came after such a trip, demanding that all of these things that courtesies be extended. So I said no when you use the word courtesy you should know that it is give and take. We withdraw so you don’t do it again”, he added.
When quizzed if he regretted his actions, Former President Kufuor boldly stated, No’, he does not regret doing that.
He further touched on his relationship with the late Nana Konadu, saying, Occassionally we meet. At a function, we shake hands. His wife is a distant relative of mine from Kumasi. These days, my relations with his wife are fine. Some time ago, some things really disturbed and I expressed my displeasure in ways for her to know she needed to go gingerly”.
Meanwhile, in an old interview, Victor Smith, who is a former aide to the late former president, recounted incidents of how the official residence of Rawlings was surrounded by security operatives in an attempt to arrest him.
According to him, the incident happened on June 8, 2001, only months after Rawlings had successfully handed over power to his successor, John Kufour.
Speaking on TV3’s Key Point program Victor Smith narrated, “Rawlings under Kufuor suffered some indignities, people have talked about withdrawal of his courtesies for a former President or a very senior personnel in our country, in the first 6 months of President Kufuor coming into power, on June 8 his house was surrounded and they wanted to take him, they wanted to arrest Rawlings but for the intervention of some of us in terms of calling the media and the public about this development Friday the 8th of June may be things would have been terrible for Rawlings at the time”.
He added, “He [Rawlings] thought that it was an agenda so he wanted Atta Mills to [also] pursue Kufuor’s ministers for the same reason. What I know is that he felt there were a lot of injustices against him. Atta Mills did not pursue people and that led to a bit of friction between him and Rawlings.”
“Some of his ministers were incarcerated. Kwame Peprah and the rest and so he thought the then government decided to pursue his appointees,” he narrated.
In related news, a retired Military Officer identified as Michael Molley, commonly known as Gago, has opened up about how former President John Agyekum Kufuor ordered him to eliminate the late Jerry John Rawlings and Veteran Journalist Kwesi Pratt.
According to the retired Military Officer, former President Kufuor told him to eliminate Rawlings and Kwesi Pratt, but he refused.
He alleged that Kufuor told him to eliminate Rawlings because he was bothering him, adding that he made a similar request, asking him to eliminate Kwesi Pratt because he was writing negative things about him.
Speaking on Kofi TV, the retired Military Officer alleged, saying, “President Kufour is alive, they should ask him, Mr Kufour, look at me, I am talking to you, didn’t you also say that I should eliminate Rawlings? It is true; let him answer it. That is what he told, and it is not a lie. That was why I said, “Give me a Bible to swear”.
God will not forgive me if I am lying”.
The retired military officer, Michael Molley, was handed a Bible, where he swore.
He further alleged, “Mr Kufuor, you told me Rawlings was bothering you, so I should eliminate him, and Kwesi Pratt has been writing things against you, so I should eliminate him”.
“I told him I am not a killer, Mr Kufuor. Next time you tell me, I will leave Ghana. Mr Kufuor, am I lying? This is a Bible I am holding? You, too, take a Bible and swear you never told me. Bible, if I am lying, don’t let me reach home, just eliminate me”, he claimed.
Watch the video below:
I never regret withdrawing the diplomatic passport and courtesies of former President JJ Rawlings and his wife for smearing my person on an international stage— JA Kuffour pic.twitter.com/2YuBbLiAPS
— Ngoliba Writes ✍️ (@NgolibaAbdul) May 15, 2026