Story: George Ernest Asare, Kumasi
THE Manhyia Palace has declined comment on a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) report quoting the Sunday Times newspaper that the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has purchased a $5 million mansion in London.
The Public Affairs Manager at Manhyia, Mr G.B. Osei-Antwi, told the Daily Graphic at the palace yesterday that all he knew was that the Asantehene had not mandated anyone to speak on the matter.
Earlier in the day, the Akyempimhene, Oheneba Adusei Poku, had told Accra-based Joy FM that there could not be any truth in the allegation.
Mr Osei-Antwi, however, refused to comment on that statement by the Akyempimhene and emphasised that Manhyia had not made any official statement on the report.
“Let's all take it now that officially nothing has come up with regard to the publication,” he told the Daily Graphic.
The Akyempimhene, in his interview with the radio station, had stated that Asanteman would meet on the issue to take a decision.
Oheneba Adusei Poku, the eldest son of the late Otumfuo Opoku Ware II and lawyer, emphasised that Otumfuo Osei Tutu believed in the development of his people and nothing would be done to stray from that path.
The property, according to the British report, “sits on a 20-acre estate with creamy marble floors and a cinema room”.
It added that the property had an attractive drawing room with double windows, a decorative fireplace and panelling.
The story sought to strike a contrast between the Asantehene’s modest lifestyle in London, when he was working for a local council before returning home to ascend the throne, to what the BBC now describes as a grand lifestyle which includes playing golf with some of the world’s most important people.
According to The Sunday Times, the estate is situated in the wealthy neighbourhood of Henley-on-Thames.
The BBC’s Celeste Hicks added, “The Ashanti King is the most influential traditional figure of authority in Ghana.
He lives in a palace in Kumasi, the capital of his gold-rich kingdom, but he travels the world often to meet subjects and raise funds for his many charity educational projects.”
“This six-bedroom neo-colonial property bought in November is expected to provide an aside from his work. It has an outdoor swimming pool, a tennis court and stables.
“It sits on a 20-acre estate with creamy marble floors throughout and a cinema room. However, it is still the drawing room with double windows, a decorative fireplace and panelling that caught the eye of the 60-year old king.
“Before getting to the throne in Ghana, he lived a modest life in London working for a local council, but like his 15 predecessors, he now lives a grand life, holding court with his subjects, playing golf and meeting some of the world’s most important people. That includes the Queen of England who he met on one of his many visits to Britain.
“Ghana, a producer of gold since the 16th century, today has one of the largest and richest reserves of gold in the world.
“The Obuasi gold mine, some 30 minutes’ drive from the kingdom’s capital, Kumasi, is the biggest in the country. So with the mining industry that has been a relative success story, the influence of a king who presides is immense.
“Though without constitutional powers, his approval is sought in many political appointments and decisions. His office is so revered that public criticism is rare, but with this new purchase, many in his kingdom and beyond might just muster the courage to ask questions about the king’s priorities,” he wrote.
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