Ghana government denies it sent gold to Iran

Accra (Ghana), Feb 20 (AP) The Ghanaian government says it has not engaged in any transaction with Iran that requires payment in gold, following the arrest in Turkey of a cargo plane carrying gold allegedly from Ghana. President John Dramani Mahama's office issued the statement today and said the government is investigating the matter. Mahama reiterated his commitment to transparency and the rule of law. The National Security Coordinator Col. Larry Gbevlo-Lartey said he suspects the 1.5 tons of gold ferried from Ghana and intercepted in Turkey may turn out to be a scam. He said the documentation backing the gold export from the Geological Survey Department indicated that the cargo was just rock samples of gold with no commercial value. He said he strongly doubted that the cargo was real gold. (AP) PY 02201917 NNNN