The Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Kweku Baako Jnr, has challenged some findings contained in the Ghana@50 Commission of Inquiry Report about a missing US$5million, describing it as �useless.�
Mr. Baako contends that if indeed the Commission did write in its final report about an unaccounted for amount of US$5m, �then it�s one more example of the useless work that they (Commission) did.�
�During the entire sitting of the Commission, this document (about the alleged US$5m), was not made available to the two principal actors (Mpiani & Wereko Brobbey), nor were they questioned about it. It was after the end of its work�that was why recently Wereko-Brobbey raised issues about some �secret workings of the commission��so if the commission wrote in its final report about some missing US$5m, it�s one more example of the useless work that they did�I�m not talking about the newspaper (Dispatch), I�m dealing with the Commission�,� he stated.
A Research Desk Report in the Daily Dispatch publication of today, Wednesday 6th Jan, said �one of the unanswered questions in the Justice Isaac Duose Commission of Inquiry on Ghana@50 is the whereabouts of a loan facility of IS$5m (about �48billion).
According to the Daily Dispatch, �part of the minutes of a December 5th 2006, meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee on Ghana@50 Independence celebrations states that the Secretariat �had received a formal offer from Stanbic Bank to provide a loan of �48billion to undertake the renovation and refurbishment of the Ghana Trade Fair Centre, Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, Du Bois Centre, National theatre��
But contributing to a panel discussion on PEACEFM's "Kokrokoo", Mr. Baako dismissed the report saying �there is no US$5m dollars missing anywhere�.
�The Stanbic Bank Loan was US$17m dollars and wasn�t US$5m in the first place. It�s (a) public document approved by parliament. It had nothing to do with [email protected] nothing,� he stressed.
He accused the ruling party of using the Ghana@50 probe for �political capital and as a propaganda tool.� According to him, the NDC only wanted one thing out of Ghana@50.
�Put it on TV, let people go there, say all sorts of things, let Allotey (Jacobs) go on radio and run riot with it. That�s all. It was for political capital. Many of the recommendations and observations by the Ghana@50 commission were predictable. Ayariga, Victor Smith and the rest said them on campaign platforms�almost the same and identical in terms of views, observations and recommendations and findings,� he alleged.
The avowed NDC critic disclosed that sooner than later, the legality of the Ghana@50 Commission of Inquiry will be tested in court following what he claims are gross procedural defects.
�The legality of the Commission has been questioned and will very soon be tested in court, sooner than later�We�re developing democracy�whether indeed that Commission applied the appropriate procedures required of Commissions of Inquiry to this work and whether if they didn�t, they had the business proceeding with the sittings. It�ll be tested in court and if the court says yes, we�ll live with it,� Mr. Baako stated.
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