Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Godfred Yeboah Dame
Interesting details have started emerging about some appointees of the erstwhile Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration who have been put on the radar of the current John Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.
This became public last Thursday on Metro TV‘s ‘Good Evening Ghana’ political show hosted by Journalist Paul Adom Otchere.
Adom Otchere revealed the names and identities of a number of persons who have been targeted for arrest and detention in the coming days by the state through the National Security, in an operation which is being led by Director of Operations at the National Security Secretariat, Richard Jakpa, who was dismissed by the Army for misconduct.
The list includes the names of former Transport Minister, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, and Gabby Otchere-Darko, who had no known role in or held any position in the Akufo-Addo government, even though his uncle was the President and was thought to be influential.
Others include former Attorney General (AG) and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, former Minister for Communication, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful and Paul Adom Otchere himself, for his time at the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) as Board Chairman.
It comes on the heels of last week’s raid on the private home of the former Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr. Ernest Addison at Roman Ridge by Jakpa and about 15 heavily armed soldiers, ostensibly in search of a supposed vault during which they disconnected the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) installed in the house to monitor activities and operations of all who enter.
At the end of the operation at the former Governor’s home, it was alleged that a set of jewelry belonging to the wife of Dr. Addison and GH¢10,000 was missing.
Mr. Jakpa was the same man who led a similar raid on the Labone home of former Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, in which he was captured on CCTV with a fully armed joint police-military team.
During the ‘Good Evening Ghana’ programme last Thursday, Mr. Adom Otchere indicated that, “there is a conversation between Joyce Bawa Mogtari and Richard Jakpa which we have heard, and Joyce Bawa Mogtari was asking Richard Jakpa that ‘when are you going to arrest Paul Adom Otchere, and he is talking plenty?’, and he said, ‘as for Paul, we will get him but wait, we have to go to Addison, then we have Okatakyie before we go to Paul Adom Otchere’.”
In his case and that of the former Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, Mr. Adom Otchere said Richard Jakpa put their names on the list because whilst the former Attorney General was handling Mr. Jakpa’s prosecution, he (Paul) was the media person who was backing it with commentaries on his ‘Good Evening Ghana’ show, exposing Jakpa’s complicity in the acquisition of those defective ambulances for the state at a whopping cost of €2.37million.
According to him, since coming into office some three months ago, the NDC government has been going through the files of GACL to get some dirt to use against him, but have found nothing on him.
Even though he was more than certain that they did not find anything wrong in the books when they went to look into his role as Board Chairman of Ghana Airports Company Limited, Mr. Adom Otchere thinks they still want to find a way to get at him without justifiable reason, whilst asking rhetorically, “is that the democracy we are running?”
During Mr. Jakpa’s trial, Mr. Adom Otchere recalled the life-threatening messages he sent him, which Mr. Adom Otchere has promised to take it up with the appropriate authorities.
He was of the belief that these arbitrary arrests and harassments are not only meant to shut some key and influential members of the NPP up, but also to create an impression in the minds of Ghanaians as though they are fighting corruption.
According to Mr. Adom Otchere, he and the others have been advised not to sleep in their houses.
“I was told that, Friday night don’t sleep in your house because they will come to your house Saturday morning, and then they will say 48 hours, so they will keep you till Monday; and so all of us have been told Richard Jakpa is coming, don’t sleep in your house,” he disclosed.
For him personally, he said he has nowhere to go and sleep, thus asked Jakpa and his people who want to do so to come there as and when they wish, since he has nothing to hide.
He went on to mention his house address at a location in the Teshie-Nungua Estates, which he said was known to everyone in the area, including even children.
In spite of all these harassments, the government and its agents have not been able to take anyone to court.
Mr. Adom Otchere said Ghanaians are therefore patiently waiting for the Attorney General, Dr. Dominic Ayine, to proceed to court by the end of March, as he promised to prosecute those he suspects to have been involved in some acts of corruption under the previous Akufo-Addo-led NPP administration.
Until then, he said they should stop the needless harassment of past government officials.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu