From a spirited press Conference, a fierce declaration of the former Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta ‘Fugitive from Justice’, and posting of his photograph on its website only to be removed less than 48 hours with reasons yet to sit well with many, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has left more question on the sight, Lips and minds of many than answers.
There seems to be a brewing suspicion that a heavy heat somewhere is melting the OSP’s solid start to the case involving the former Minister of Finance of Ghana, Ken Ofori Atta that recently attracted commendation and applause from many quarters, including the general public.
The applauding palms seem to have frozen in the air only to be gradually seen melting into a thumbs-down for the OSP. A few hands have relocated to bury themselves under the chin and in some cases holding tight to the chin to watch, similar to a favorite posture of the embattled former Finance Minister of Ghana.
ANY MIND GAMES, AND ARE GHANAIANS BECOMING A SYMPATHY BANK? JAKPA IN THE PICTURE.
Must Ghanaians expect an excellent theatrical play book put together to sway thoughts away from the substantive issues at stake, aimed at carving some levels of public sympathy through some Parliamentary bates like that of the Minority leader elevating a suspect to a victim? Using a compelling description of the state of mind of the embattled former Finance Minister as ‘traumatized’ especially after the director of National Security, Richard Jakpa was seen in CCTV footage doing his job based on the intelligence he may have picked at that time, in the nation’s interest?
A bate that has trapped and already made his colleague on the other side of the house, the Majority leader to apologize? An apology that seems to have partially made many, especially supporters of the ruling NDC party to rethink the optimism and excitement they greeted the Hon. Majority leader, Mahama Ayariga upon his ascension to the leader of his caucus position.
Why was the CCTV camera footage in Ken Ofori Atta’s family house immediately made public, and was there a reason the Special Prosecutor injected it in his Press Conference to disabuse the mind of Ghanaians that the OSP did not send anyone to Ken Ofori Atta’s house in Ghana? Was there a coordination paralysis, or both outfits, the OSP and National Security were and are still running legitimate parallel scrutiny of the former minister’s alleged corruption escapades?
The speed by which the NPP organized a press conference to condemn some points in the OSP’s press conference, knowing very well that if any investigation revolving around the use of Taxpayers money beyond what Parliament of Ghana approved for the abandoned National Cathedral and its related issues, the former Finance Minister must be the focal person to be interrogated, is worrying and an insult to accountability, is it not?
How then will they characterize the former president Nana Akuffo Addo’s recent call for his appointees to subject themselves to accountability? Will it not be patriotic enough on their part as in their political party’s name to ask the former president to rather call on all those who know in their heart to have in one way or the other, stolen, caused financial loss to the State to willingly present themselves for questioning?
Is it not intriguing to begin hearing a call to submit one’s self to accountability, where on the other end the Minority leader is reported to have thrown a caution to the ORAL team, that he will sue the team or individuals in the team if his name or property happen to be in their report?
Have they all of a sudden become comfortable with the Office of the Special Prosecutor but ORAL and the Attorney General’s office? Are they building a preference , since the OSP is a bud from their stem though so far appears to be independent from them.
Maybe, those left on the wanted list of the OSP must also instruct their lawyers to choose a date in December and give it to the Special Prosecutor as their availability and return date, to have their photographs equally removed from the wanted list and subsequently keep pushing the dates further.
It is about time Ghanaians refused to be used by those in authority, especially the opportunistic politicians as their sympathy bank, where they can easily fall on to borrow or cash out sympathy at the expense of their (Ghanaians) emotions. The Ghanaian must consciously begin to learn and put into practice how to detach emotions, family and religious allegiance from corruption investigations and those suspected or implicated in corruption-related endeavors, and to allow the law and law enforcers to bite. The citizenry must cooperate with institutions to bite hard and deep enough to inflict a permanent wound on corruption to never heal and haunt the nation again.
CAN THE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR BITE AND CHEW?
Some are beginning to question if the Ofori Atta case is too huge a fruit for the Office of the Special Prosecutor to peel, bite and chew. Is it an issue of the OSP having nicely peeled the fruit, but is unable to inflict a deep bite with his strong ‘ teeth’ solidly planted in the Judicial and Parliamentary fortified gums he has, especially with the strong Executive ORAL ‘health’ campaign?
Can the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyabeng then be confident enough to chew hard and be trusted to swallow, no matter how bitter it becomes with some counter attacks on his person and many soon to be possibly released manufactured misconduct about him, if he is indeed genuinely running in the national tracks for God and country, and not from some prewritten play book of a particular group who believed they were destined to rule till eternity?
Hopefully, the special prosecutor is not beginning to dance to a melody pleasant to the ears of Ken Ofori Atta composed by some Choir that is somewhere consciously pulling the strings of the ‘bass guitar’ happily and secretly to fool Ghanaians. If he has not noticed, he must be reminded that the music he must listen to and dance with religiously, is that composed by the taxpayers and being sung by the majority of Ghanaians whose misfortunes one way or the other, may be traced to the reign of Ken Ofori Atta as Finance Minister.
For anyone who is alleged to have disrespected Parliament’s approved amount for the National Cathedral and procurement procedures, is not a soft person to play pleasant music to, and expect a regular dance to it. Such persons will exhibit a dance portraying you as a bad musician, and in this case, a bad prosecutor.
The Attorney General must not put all his trust in the Special Prosecutor, especially on any past government officials’ corruption case, including Ken Ofori Atta’ alleged Financial Loss to the State. Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine and his office must see the Special Prosecutor as a compliment to their efforts, and not a replacement to make them lose focus, especially in the Ken Ofori Atta case.
The Attorney General must seek to join in these cases if possible and monitor keenly while being ready to take it up should the Special Prosecutor be seen to be crawling.
It is about time all investigative bodies, anti corruption agencies, including the Attorney General’s office and the National Security demanded a high stake emergency meeting to strategies and commit to retrieving State looted money and assets.
Maybe, Ghanaians must begin developing a ‘zero trust syndrome’ towards the current happenings in the office of the Special Prosecutor, until it is proven that the drama we are keenly watching and following, involving the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyabeng and the former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta, is not a script from the authors of the once upon a time ‘Holy book’ ‘Agyapadea’. May be now ‘Obatampadea’ that is yet to premiere.
The ruling NDC government and the people of Ghana must give deaf ears to the many theatrics surrounding the investigation of corruption related cases, especially the alleged Financial Loss to the State slapped on the former Finance Minister and past government officials, and solidly embrace the hunger for accountability and punishments for those to be found guilty. For the majority of these Financial Loss to the State cases over the years, seem to be having the blessings of the Finance Ministry.
If a former Finance Minister under President Rawlings regime, Victor Selomey was jailed by the Kuffuor led government when Nana Akuffo Addo, the immediate past President of Ghana under whom Ken Ofori Atta served as Finance Minister for almost 8 years, was the Attorney General, and he died, there should not be any injection of ‘trauma’ and ‘traumatized’ in our discourse today to court public sympathy for those under the lenses of the law. They can legitimately claim ownership of being traumatized after they are found NOT guilty, acquitted and discharged by the Courts, and the law is not novice to the aftermath.
Until then, as former public officials, traumatization must be buried in the luxury they enjoyed in their respective Ministries and offices garnished with the titles, HONORABLE!
The current Ken Ofori Atta case is set to make or unmake the NDC party and government in their preaching of probity and accountability, and the bar set. Let it ring in discerning minds.
I rest my PEN.
Mustapha Alhassan
Pennsylvania, USA.
