Former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Ohene Ntow has dismissed claims that he has defaulted in paying a loan he contracted under the Micro Finance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC). The banner headline of the Palaver Newspaper in its Wednesday May 5, 2010 edition read: “The hot pursuit of runaway defaulters, Ohene Ntow dodges MASLOC officials over ¢48 million car loan arrears.” But the former NPP general secretary says the publication is unfortunate and mischievous. “It is unfortunate that Palaver has not even spoken to me to crosscheck what the facts are.” “It is true that I took one of the MASLOC taxi loans and the conditions were that we have four years to pay up,” he confirmed in an interview with Evans Mensah on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday. According to him he has paid about GH¢7,000 of the amount he took for the purchase of the taxi. “I am surprised that Palaver will make up this story because it has to do with the former General Secretary of the NPP,” he lamented. He was however not too sure about the exact amount he took, but insisted he had paid more than half of the total sum. He explained, he, like all others who contracted the loan, had a period of four years within which to pay back and at the moment he has not defaulted. Nana Ntow dismissed assertions that he exploited his position to secure the loan, adding anybody at all could and indeed have secured the loan. He suspects the publication was only to scandalize him, as a former General Secretary of the NPP. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana