Dubaigate: Inusah Fuseini’s response to our investigations lowbrow, says OCCRP

The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) has described as lowbrow a claim by Inusah Fuseini, a former MP for Tamale Central that its investigative project into “How Dirty Money Finds a Home in Dubai Real Estate” is a diversionary tactic.

Speaking with Benjamin Offei-Addo in a yet-to-be-aired interview on Asaase 99.5, Beauregard Tromp, the Africa editor at the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project said it is very disappointing that the former lands and natural resources minister will reduce the extensive work done by the OCCRP to a political ploy.

Speaking on Okay FM on Tuesday (25 June) Inusah Fuseini said these allegations might be an attempt to shift the focus from the current government to former ministers.

“… But this could be one of the attempts to deflate the attention that is being drawn on government unto former ministers,” he stated.

However, Tromp said in the exclusive interview said, “It’s disappointing for people to have such a lowbrow response to such work. They should consider that this project is launched as part of an international consortium and if you think about it reasonably when we have four Ghanaians mentioned here did Fuseini really think that we’re timing this to go and mix with Ghanaian politics?”

“Answer our queries”

He added that the former lands and natural resources minister must instead channel his energy to respond to the OCCRP’s queries to address any issues he [Inusah Fuseini] has identified.

“… I mean it’s a bit incredulous. Secondly, [it’ll] be better if Fuseini had taken the time and the energy to respond to our queries to try and offer a reasonable explanation as to why his name is linked to these properties and that is problematic,” Tromp said.

“Now that people are taking notice of it in Ghana, he [Inusah] feels the need to try and rubbish it… it should be useful if he could direct his attention to responding to the actual claim being made against him and if he claims that a mistake has been made it would be wonderful to engage him as we have previously tried to do,” he added.

An investigative report by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) published in May 2024 alleges that Inusah Fuseini, a former MP for Tamale Central, owns over US$7.235 million worth of real estate in Dubai, including multiple properties in the prime Palm Jumeirah development.

Fuseini was a lands and natural resources minister and minister of roads and highways under the Mahama government.

The OCCRP investigation also offers details of an apartment in Dubai, worth just over US$133,000, owned by Moses Asaga, the former MP for Nabdam, minister of state in the Ministry of Finance and chief executive of the National Petroleum Authority.

Financial secrecy and money laundering

The report, titled How Dirty Money Finds a Home in Dubai Real Estate, sets out information about 20 apartments across six luxurious areas in Dubai linked to Fuseini.

The report highlights what it describes as Dubai’s appeal as a haven for people looking to launder ill-gotten gains because, it says, few questions are asked about sources of wealth, financial transactions can be kept secret, property taxes are minimal and the emirate offers political stability.

Two other Ghanaians were named in the OCCRP report: Anthony Alfred Benin, a former Supreme Court judge and member of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, and Joseph Kwaku Asamoah, a former finance director of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, who co-owns two properties.

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