Ghana president spurns 'corrupting' Christmas gifts | |
Ghanaian President John Atta Mills is refusing to accept Christmas presents this year because he fears they may be intended to corrupt him. Sending hampers of food and gifts to people in authority is a Christmas tradition in the African country. But Mr Atta Mills's spokesman said the president felt it was better not to accept them in case the givers were seeking something in return. Mr Atta Mills was elected in 2008 on a promise to fight corruption. "Some people bring the gifts and their motives are genuine," presidential spokesman Mahama Ayariga told the BBC's Focus on Africa. "Others, perhaps, just want to establish a relationship that would, in a sense, influence decisions that you might have to make in the coming year that relate to their interests. "So you cannot really differentiate in terms of the different motives that people bring to this gift-giving exercise." The spokesman added that the gifts would be better enjoyed by the country's underprivileged, such as children at orphanages. | |
source: BBC
tags: ghana, corruption
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