Christmas tree saga was politically motivated – Adom-Otchere

Former Board Chair of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), Paul Adom-Otchere, has dismissed the controversy over the company’s Christmas decorations as politically driven and baseless.

Speaking in an interview on the AM Show, the Good Evening Ghana host said the so-called “Christmas tree saga” was blown out of proportion for political purposes.

“Yeah, that Christmas tree, that was quite a much ado about nothing. It was really political,” he stated.

He revealed that the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) had fully investigated the matter and cleared him of any wrongdoing.

“Eventually, the matter went to CHRAJ, and I appeared before them. CHRAJ gave a ruling that, we believe, completely exonerated us,” he said.

Mr. Adom-Otchere expressed regret that CHRAJ refused his request to have the public hearing recorded, saying such transparency could have prevented distortions of the ruling.

“The only disappointment I had with CHRAJ was that when I went in, I told them I wanted this filmed. It was a public hearing, and I didn’t want anyone misrepresenting the ruling. They declined, and so when the ruling came and people were picking parts of it, I told them this was exactly why I wanted it filmed,” he noted.

The controversy, which erupted in December 2022, stemmed from public criticism of the GACL’s purchase and installation of Christmas decorations at the Kotoka International Airport.

The decorations were alleged to have been procured at an inflated cost, prompting calls for accountability.

However, the GACL maintained that the decorations were modestly priced and that all procurement procedures were properly followed.

CHRAJ’s subsequent findings confirmed that there was no financial misconduct in the process.

Mr. Adom-Otchere urged the public to view the episode in hindsight as a politically exaggerated distraction. He said the matter had no merit and should serve as a reminder of how easily political motives can distort public discourse.