Former Board Chair of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), Paul Adom-Otchere, has described the controversy surrounding the company’s Christmas tree decorations as “much ado about nothing,” insisting that the issue was politically motivated.

Speaking in a one-on-one interview on the AM Show, the Good Evening Ghana host said he was fully cleared by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) after an investigation into the matter.

“Yeah, that Christmas tree—that was quite a much ado about nothing. It was really political,” Adom-Otchere said.

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

He expressed disappointment that CHRAJ declined his request to have the public hearing filmed, saying that would have prevented misinformation about the outcome of the case.

“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 explained.

The “Christmas tree saga,” which sparked public criticism in late 2022, centred on claims of financial impropriety over GACL’s purchase and installation of Christmas decorations at the Kotoka International Airport.

The company, then under Adom-Otchere’s board chairmanship, maintained that the expenditure was modest and properly approved.

The CHRAJ ruling later cleared the GACL of any wrongdoing.

Adom-Otchere said he hopes the controversy will be seen in hindsight as an exaggerated episode driven by politics rather than substance.