Some Allegations Of Corruption Bandied By NDC Are "Palm-Wine Spot Talk" - Kweku Baako

The Editor-In-Chief of the New Crusading Guide, Kweku Baako Jnr., has described the incessant pressure being mounted on the Attorney General, Betty Mould-Iddrisu, by some leading members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to prosecute ex-government officials as �misguided and a sheer ignorance of the judicial process.� Mr. Baako opines that such propagandists� comments by NDC activists should pass for those made at �palm wine centres and Mantse Agboona (a suburb of Accra)�, and not on serious public platforms. Speaking during a panel discussion on Peace FMs �Kokrokoo� programme, he pointed out that generally most of the attacks and pressure from staunch party members and seasoned politicians were completely out of order and misplaced. One of such respected individual who seems disillusioned and baffled by the apparent inaction by the A-G in the face of abundant evidence of corruption and graft against former government officials and has been baying for the blood of these ex-ministers, especially those in the erstwhile NPP administration, is former Supreme Court judge, Justice Kpegah. But the New Crusading Guide Editor-in-Chief contends that such calls are borne out of �ignorance, mischief and malice.� �There is too much ignorance informing their (NDCs) decision and also mischief at play�it�s not fair to her�there is no basis for such pressure to be mounted on the Attorney-General for not being able to prosecute any alleged corrupt past government official,� he added. According to him, �the predicament that the NDC and Betty Mould as a corporate entity are going through is self-inflicted� because prior to the 2008 elections the NDC embarked on a campaign of vilification and vowed to wage war on graft. �� the NDC promised to prosecute all corrupt officials in an effort to fight bribery and corruption�but most of the allegations were baseless�it�s irritating and repugnant�that�s not how to promote good governance, cultured intellectual discourse�those comments can only be passed at palm wine centres and at Mantse Agboona,� he said. Mr. Baako catalogued a number of ministers and government officials in the previous administration including the former Information Minister, Stephen Asamoah Boateng, former Foreign Minister Akwasi Osei Adjei, former National Investment Bank Manager, Daniel Gyimah, former Deputy Information Minister Frank Agyekum, amongst others who are being tried in court, to buttress the point that indeed the Attorney-General has not been inactive. ��this is to answer the NDC fanatics who think that there isn�t enough prosecution of ex-government officials,� he said. He was however, quick to add that most of the allegations of corruption bandied about by the NDC were meant for propaganda purposes. �You recall the Vodafone issue�30million dollar bribe to Kufuor� they even had a list of 143 allegations� the Attorney-General knows this; so as a matter of fact she cannot proceed to trial with such cases, its useful for propaganda because you can�t interrogate this in a court of competent jurisdiction. ...It serves them right�but we need to rise above this�They (NDC) sowed the seeds, it germinated and has now back-fired�it is obviously becoming a exercise in self-indictment,� Mr. Kweku Baako said.