THE MANUAL

I was bitterly disappointed in UN, ECOWAS report, Gambia massacre survivor

Martin Kyere, 2005 Gambia massacre survivor

The only known survivor of the July 2005 massacre of over 50 migrants in Gambia has told The Manual that he felt bitterly disappointed in the joint UN and ECOWAS report issued after the team had conducted their investigations.

A team made up of UN and regional investigators from ECOWAS exonerated then President of Gambia Yahya Jammeh from being responsible in the murder of scores of migrants from Ghana and Nigeria, which reports say they were mistaken for mercenaries.

According to Mr. Kyere it was by the Grace of God who released him from the victims of death so he could come and tell the whole world what Yahya Jammeh had done to them. Nine years after the report, he still feels bitter, not only for himself but for his entire colleagues who made the trip.

“I don’t know the facts and truth UN and ECOWAS used to arrive on the basis that Jammeh didn’t know anything about it. I was totally and bitterly disappointed in the report; not me alone but also the travelling members”, Mr. Kyere lamented.

He was hopeful when the investigative team from the two bodies met him in Accra to listen to his side of the story but did not hear from them again only for them to come out with that “unfortunate” report in 2009.

“I was invited to a meeting with the delegation in a hotel around the foreign affairs ministry. I was there from morning till evening. They just asked me what the story was about, I briefed them and didn’t hear from them again”, he stated.

Ghana minister of information Dr. Mustapha Hamid has revealed that government was studying a request sent by Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International to extradite and prosecute Yahya Jammeh in Ghana.

Ghanaian Migrants in Gambia shot dead, thrown in wells, Jammeh’s hitman reveals

A former death squad member of the infamous paramilitary “junglers” of ex-Gambian dictator, Yahya Jammeh has described how more than 50 Ghanaian and other West African migrants were murdered in July 2005.

In a radio interview given in 2013 to a Gambian radio station and translated into English for the first time, Bai Lowe revealed how his unit covered the migrants’ heads with cheap plastic bags, shot them and dumped them in wells across Gambia’s border with Senegal.

One of the migrants escaped and after he was recaptured, a jungler “cut him into pieces like a Tabaski ram” and put him in a plastic sack. (Tabaski is the Muslim “festival of sacrifice” Eid al-Adha at which rams and sheep are slaughtered.)

On May 16, 2018, Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International released a report based on interviews with 30 former Jammeh-era officials showing that the migrants were murdered by the junglers after having been detained by Jammeh’s closest deputies in the army, navy, and police forces.

In response to the report, Martin Kyere, the sole known Ghanaian survivor of the massacre, the families of those disappeared in Gambia, and Ghanaian human rights organizations, called on the Ghanaian government to investigate the new evidence and potentially seek Jammeh’s extradition and prosecution in Ghana.

Ghana Minister of Information, Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, announced last week that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Attorney-General’s Department were “studying” the request “to ask for the extradition to, and trial of Yahaya Jammeh in Ghana.”

William Nyarko, Executive Director of the Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA), who is coordinating the campaign in Ghana to have Jammeh prosecuted for the massacre, said that the jungler’s testimony underscored the importance of Ghana taking up the case. “Forty-four Ghanaians were cruelly murdered in a foreign country. The gruesome killings as narrated Bai Lowe should shock the conscience of Ghana to get to the bottom of what happened and ultimately bring the perpetrators to account.”

Bai Lowe, ex junglers member

Baboucar “Bai” Lowe, a former Gambian Army Warrant officer, who is now living in Germany, described the events in his 2013 interview with journalist Pa Nderry M’Bai of Freedom Radio based in North Carolina (USA):

“We got information that they were captured mercenaries … who were coming to attack the Gambia. So, we caught them, and we took them to the NIA [National Intelligence Authority] office. From the NIA headquarters, they were scattered, and [then] we took them to Kanilai [Yahya Jammeh’s home village]”

Following an order to kill the migrants; “Two guys will just bring you to the well execute you and throw you in the well [in Senegal]. That is where I saw them use a pistol to kill people….. [T]hey hold you and shoot you, while they already had a plastic bag over your head, the one dalasi [= 10 Ghanaian Pesewas] black plastic bags, shoot you and throw you in the well.”

Regarding the escapee, Bai Lowe stated; “Yes, one escaped, he was caught near Kankurang and Bambara. When he was caught, [Sanna] Manjang [a Jungler] went there and cut him into pieces like a Tabaski ram and put him into a sack. He even boasts about that, that nobody has done what he did for the Gambia because he has cut more people into pieces than any soldier in the Gambian Army. He said he has more guts than the kids because the kids cannot do what he did. He has killed people, cut them up, bagged them and threw them in [the bush]”

Bai Lowe, who was trained in Libya, served in the Gambian Presidential Guard and the junglers for some 12 years before being arrested himself in 2012 and jailed in Banjul’s infamous Mile 2 prison. After his release, he participated in a December 2014 coup attempt.

Bai Lowe’s account squares with that of the survivor Martin Kyere, who jumped out of a pick-up truck and into the forest just before the other detainees in the truck were apparently shot and killed.

Kyere has been advocating for the Ghana government to prosecute the case. “We need to make clear that Ghanaians abroad can’t be tortured and killed with impunity. By prosecuting this crime, the government will be protecting and standing up for Ghanaians everywhere.”

In a 2009 Memorandum of Understanding between Ghana and Gambia intended to put the issue to rest , the two countries “pledged to pursue through all available means the arrests and prosecution of all those involved in the deaths and disappearances of the Ghanaians and other ECOWAS nationals, especially those identified as culprits in the report.” No arrests have ever been made in connection with the case.

However, the Ghanaian groups which have called for Jammeh’s prosecution include the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA), Perfector of Sentiments Foundation (POS), Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Human Rights Advocacy Centre (HRAC), Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), and Amnesty International.

Source: Jammeh2Justice https://www.facebook.com/Jammeh2Justice/posts/2071581913114388

Editorial: Anas' Money Ball Vs Kennedy Agyepong's Who Watches the Watchman

Anas Aremeyaw (right) and Hon. Agyepong (left)

For the past few weeks, Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central in the Central Region, Hon. Kennedy Agyepong has been accusing investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas for being corrupt himself.

The MP made these attacking comments prior to the premiering of Anas' latest corruption investigative piece, Number XII, also dubbed Money Ball.

One important thing, which The Manual believes is worth mentioning is what the MP stated: "when someone raises accusing finger on a corrupt fellow, that person must also be clean".

This, The Manual thinks is a fair comments. Aside this, we are unhappy with some portions of Hon. Agyepong's comments.

In one of his submissions, he showed some pictures purported to be Anas and entreated his sympathisers to "beat" and "slap" Anas and his boys wherever they see them as he (MP) mentioned that he was capable of paying any amount of money in case any casualties result from the beatings.

The Manual sees this as a high level of threats that must be dealt with by the security agencies accordingly for the safety of not only Anas, but all journalists.

Notwithstanding, Anas has provided concrete evidences on the people he accused of being corrupt in his latest exposé.

More than 60 premier league referees, including their female counterparts and some match officials were seen collecting bribe prior to the commencement of league matches.

One of such referees is the hardened referee Samuel Suker who awarded an 83rd minute penalty to Hearts of Oak against arch rivals Asante Kotoko after the ball hits the back of kotoko's defender Ahmed Adams. This was during the 2017 Ghana Premier League. He took Ghc1500 and a goat to influence the game as Hearts won 1-0.

The return leg of this fixture in Accra was not left out as referee Dally Gagba was also given his share to influence the game in Kotoko's favour. Eventually, he awarded a similar dubious penalty to Kotoko when the ball hit the shoulder of Hearts of Oak's defender.

We believe that these great evidences by Anas is worth commended at all levels as referees and match commissioners who should ensure the sanity of the game are rather destroying the beauty of the game.

On the other hand, Hon, Agyepong has on many occasions, mentioned that Anas himself is not a "saint". He added that he also has evidences showing Anas collecting bribes from some agents which he has titled the videos "Who Watches the Watchman". That is also good.

In order to have a level playing field and also to vindicate Hon. Agyepong on his numerous allegations against Anas, the Manual will entreat the MP to show those evidences accordingly.

Already, he has promised to show it on his TV network -Net 2 on Friday and we wait patiently to see those videos.

Meanwhile, The Manual was extremely shocked after watching Anas' documentary, Number 12 today at the Accra International Conference Centre. These evidences cast a slur on Ghana's top flight football league.

It also tells that eventual winners of the 2017 Ghana Premier League -Aduana Stars, may not deserve it. Those evidences were only the ones Tiger Eye, -Anas'company went undercover to trap those referees.

How would we know what the other clubs did with these same officials without the influence of Tiger Eye? And yes, it is very possible.

The Manual believes that these videos will change Ghana Football forever. It will never be the same again.

Below are pictures of the show.

Ghanaians killed in Gambia: “Akufo-Addo nearly fought my Foreign Minister”, Jammeh makes wild allegations, curses him

President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo

Reports seen by The Manual have revealed that then Foreign Affairs Minister and now president of Ghana Nana Akufo-Addo nearly fought with his Gambian counterpart, Bala Gaye in Banjul when he led a delegation to Gambia following the murder of 44 Ghanaians.

This was contained in the 17^th -18^th June 2009 Edition of the Foroyaa Newspaper where then Gambia president Yahya Jammeh - for the first time since the murder of 56 migrants in July 2005 in Gambia, broke his silence on the issue. This was after the joint ECOWAS and UN investigations into the murder exonerated Jammeh and his government from being directly or indirectly involved.

Then Gambian leader mentioned that upon seeing the eight bodies that were deposited in Ghana town, in Gambia, he invited Ghanaian community, African missions and all diplomatic representatives in Gambia to go and identify them, but were unable to do so, even though he [Jammeh] insisted that they [bodies] “must” be Ghanaians.

According to him, when the bodies could not be identified after more than three weeks, he directed they should be buried because the bodies “were occupying space” at the morgue. Few days after they were buried, then Ghana leader, President Kufour sent envoy to Gambia on the issue. Here was when Mr. Jammeh stated that Ghana foreign minister Nana Akufo-Addo lost his cool.

“And interestingly, when countries are put into alphabetical order, you have Gabon, Gambia, and Ghana. And at the AU, we sit side by side. As I said, this sad episode did not interfere in my relationship with the then President of Ghana, Kufour. But then the foreign minister of Ghana [Mr. Akufo-Addo] almost fought the foreign affairs minister of the Gambia, Balla Gaye in his office”, Jammeh said.

The Gambian leader further mentioned that Mr. Akufo-Addo had a presidential ambition and was leading a “campaign” against Gambia government for being responsible of the murder in order to shutter his [Jammeh] dreams of becoming ECOWAS Chairman.

“I told him [Akufo-Addo] it was a campaign against the Gambia to host the 2006 AU Summit. Not only that but also for me to be Chairman of the ECOWAS and that time my best ally in West Africa was Mauritania and Ghana and so killing of the Ghanaians will create problems between me and Ghana”.

“As far as I know, you [Mr. Akufo-Addo] wanted to use this as politics so as to contest for the next presidential election [2008]. I will tell you if that is the case, you are not going to win the election. We have nothing to hide”, Mr. Jammeh claimed.

Ex-Gambia Leader, Yahya Jammeh

Ritual killings, fight at sea cause of deaths

After Yahya Jammeh was exonerated by ECOWAS and UN for having no hand in the murder of 44 Ghanaians and eight Nigerians in Gambia, he accused Ghana for being directly involved in the killings.

He stated that it was as a result of “ritual killings” in Ghana and a fight at sea by some “fishermen” as a the cause of deaths. He said during that period (2005), there were rumours of some strange ritual killings ongoing in Ghana.

“Originally when the matter was reported to me, what I thought was maybe ritual killings, because at that time also there were some cases going on in Ghana of ritual killing. There were a lot of rumours of some strange rituals. The other thing that came to mind was that they were all predominantly fishermen. They might have had a fight at sea or somewhere and these people were killed”, Jammeh noted.

Funeral contribution not compensation

Another element worth mentioning in his interview with the newspaper was the issue of compensation. Throughout the interview, he consistently said his government would not regard the money ($500,000) sent to Ghana for “funeral” preparation and re-burial as compensation.

According to him, it was on “humanitarian grounds” and “African solidarity” that caused his government to play that monetary role and not accepting responsibility of the murder.

He added that this was part of the campaign championed by Mr. Akufo-Addo to let Gambia accept the responsibility of the murder and pay compensation, thereby making Gambia liable to the killings.

Yahya Jammeh still insisted that they would not pay any compensation to Ghana, and added, paying compensation could make them “guilty” of committing murder.

“We are not going to pay for compensation; to compensate for what? I made it very clear that if they insist on compensation, we will not accept it simply because we are not responsible for those deaths. That is what we are doing out of humanitarian and out of African solidarity”, then Gambian leader noted.

Yahya Jammeh has been in exile in Equatorial Guinea after losing December 2017 elections to current president, Adama Barrow. Experts say for Jammeh to be extradited to Ghana to face charges and trial for his crimes, the leadership of Ghana must take the leading role.

Reports say that government has received a request by campaign groups Human Rights Watch and Trial International on the extradition and trial of Jammeh to Ghana to face justice. One of the people who will be very happy to see him face trial is Martin Kyere, the only known survivor.

Contact made to the presidency has not been responded to at the time of filing this report. The Manual has also made contacts to Equatorial Guinea. When Yahya Jammeh responds, readers will be well informed.

https://www.modernghana.com/news/858617/ghanaians-killed-in-gambia-akufo-addo-nearly-fought-my-for.html

Anas is a Decimero

Anas Aremeyaw Anas

World-known greatest investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas yesterday on his official Facebook handle, explained why he undertook the exercise of exposing corruption in the activities of the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

It was a very lengthy submission. Some people who made comments stated that they were unable to read the whole story but got the gist of it by reading few line lines. One thing that must be stated is that Mr. Anas was poetic in the introductory lines of his submission.

The story can best be described as a satire, with its tone and mood depicting despair in Ghana football.

Below is the poem.

It’s not my domain and I have done my best to remain in my terrain.

Yet have I been hounded with a refrain of pleas I can no longer restrain.

Our game is on the wane,

They complain,

And the very officials in charge are the bane.

No matter how you train,

However much you strain,

You labour in vain,

For the main actors have a stain on their brain,

And no blood of honour in their vein.

Literature experts are not alien to this kind of exercises. Back in school, perhaps the initial questions to emanate from such a poem will be to identify the literary devices, rhyming scheme, tone and mood, themes, the persona’s attitude and what have you.

Knowing Anas for the past few years, I can say he is not somebody very inclined to sports, most especially football. However, during the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, he sat outside one of the stadia during a match, wrote what was happening and still won an award.

His least desire for football and willingness to “remain” at the areas he likes best in fighting corruption are evident in the first couplet (two lines) of his decima -“It’s not my domain and I have done my best to remain in my terrain. Yet have I been hounded with a refrain of pleas I can no longer restrain”.

Here, he narrates that he has “done his best” to stay in his “terrain” where he could be much comfortable. However he had been “harassed” with lots of “pleas” “he can no longer” cope with. This narrates what motivated him to investigate alleged and perceived corruption at the GFA.

The tercet (three lines) which follow the couplet state emphatically that the beauty of Ghana football have dwindled – “Our game is on the wane”, whiles Anas accused the “officials in charge” to be the cause of the problem.

At this stage, it clearly tells that Anas might have gotten some concrete facts in order to put across this allegation, an allegation which has caused someone’s job quite recent.

The final quintet (five lines) of his decima, suggest the pitiful mood of some dedicated players who train extra hard to win points on the field in order to bring smiles on the faces of their vociferous fans; only for the score-line of the said matches to have been decided indoors already by the “main actors” involved.

He ended by stating that these actors have no respect for Ghana football which is seen as the passion of the nation.

"No matter how you train,

However much you strain,

You labour in vain,

For the main actors have a stain on their brain,

And no blood of honour in their vein”

Anas Aremeyaw Anas used a ten line poem to tell a satire. In literature (poetry), a ten-line poem is called decima. Those who write and perform decimas are called Decimistas or Decimeros. Anas’ decima in his recent work depicts despair in Ghana football.

In Puerto Rico and some parts of Lartin America, decima is often sung and improvised (Robert Lee Brewer, 2015). Who will sing for us? I choose Shatta Wale for the main track and Patapaa Ft. Sarkodie for the remix.

https://www.modernghana.com/news/856637/anas-is-a-decimero.html

Ghana set to be encouraged in taking lead in extraditing Jammeh to face justice

ACILA Executive Director, William Nyarko

Campaigners seeking to extradite former president Yahya Jammeh from Equatorial Guinea to Ghana to face justice for his alleged involvement in the murder of 44 Ghanaians in the Gambia in 2005 are set to encourage Ghana to take the leading role.

The Executive Director for the Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA), Mr. William Nyarko stated that for extradition to happen, the state would first have to be encouraged in taking the leading role by establishing the facts and evidences that have been put forward by the campaigners. He was speaking with the BBC’s Thomas Nardi.

“First, we will encourage the state of Ghana to try to independently establish the facts which have been put forward, and then after that, based on the evidences they [state] will also uncover, they will seek an extradition request from the Equatorial Guinea”, Mr. Nyarko said.

The Executive Director was optimistic and sounded positive in the extradition process. He noted that should an extradition request be sent to Equatorial Guinea, they will be under an obligation to comply because Equatorial Guinea has ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture (UNCAT).

“Torture was involved and under the Torture Convention to which the Equatorial Guinea has ratified, the state of Equatorial Guinea, if an extradition request is sent to them, will be under an obligation under International Law to extradite or prosecute”, he added.

Leading campaigners, the Human Rights Watch has debunked the outcome of the previous investigations in 2009 by a team of investigators from the United Nations and Regional Group, the Economic Community of West Afrcan States (ECOWAS).

The Lead Counsel for the Human Rights Watch Mr. Reed Brody stated that the new evidences they have found is at par with the findings of UN and ECOWAS investigators.

“We have found new information and it is clear that the migrants were not killed by rogue elements, but they were murdered by a paramilitary death squad who took orders directly from Yahya Jammeh”, Mr. Brody narrated.

The said report by the ECOWAS and UN exonerated Mr. Jammeh and his government from any wrong doing in connection with the murder of 56 migrants of whom, 44 were Ghanaians. It was reported that they were mistaken for coup plotters.

According to Mr. Nyarko, the president, Nana Akufo-Addo has already been engaged, hoping that the president will oversee the matter.

Martin Kyere, the only known survivor

Teasing analysis / questions

The Gambian Government returned eight bodies to Ghana and paid $500,000 to cover the cost of burial for the victims. Then Minister for Foreign Affairs and Integration Mohammed Mumuni received the money in 2009.

If Yahya Jammeh and his government were not responsible for the murder, why must they pay such an amount to cover the cost of burial for the victims?
Were the UN and ECOWAS investigators prevented from visiting crucial sites which could have aided in their investigations? OR
Were they bribed by the Jammeh regime to exonerate them from any wrong doing?
On what basis did successive Ghana governments accept the UN and ECOWAS findings? OR.
Did some Ghana officials benefit from the $500,000 “victims money”?
What was the cost of the entire burial of the eight bodies?
How much did each family receive?
Is there any concrete report which states how the monies were disbursed?

Video Source: BBC

https://www.modernghana.com/news/855740/human-rights-campaigners-to-encourage-ghana-to-extradite-jam.html

Next Elections Leadership, Instead of Next Generation: A “Black, Evil” Mindset of African Leaders

Many have seen AU Summit as talk shop

On Wednesday night, a dam on Kenyan commercial farm in Nakuru County burst, killing at least 45 people whiles more than 40 are missing. The water resource regulator has stated that the dam was built illegally and police has opened “initial investigation into the disaster.

The minister in charge of water also ordered other dams on the property to be drained immediately, a report by Reuters stated.

In August 2017, more than 1,000 people died whiles hundreds were missing and thousands rendered homeless in the worst natural disaster from the mudslide and flooding that hit Sierra Leon's capital, Freetown.

The initial report on the fatal disaster which resurfaced few days stated that it was a man-made tragedy that could have been prevented.

“The economy of Africa has remained in the doldrums for some time. We seemed some kind of stacked. We get locked up because the political cycle is obsessed with the next General Elections instead of being obsessed with the next generation”. Director of Malawi Economic Justice Network Mr. Dalitso Kubalasa stated in a recent interview with the BBC on the economy of Malawi.

However, because the next generation’s fate hinges on the decisions taken by politicians and key stakeholders today, the economy and the way things are done on the African continent is not likely to be good from any time soon.

Is it either African leaders have absolutely no or less knowledge on the problems confronting Africa or have decided to pay greater attention to their families, cronies and their pockets rather than the interests and wellbeing of the continent. I think it is both factors. This makes it evil.

I have listed just two of the unending disasters that hit two African countries quite recent because of the number of casualties involved; how and when they occurred. The fact of the case is that such disasters which claimed many lives could have been avoided. So what happened?

Mount Sugar Loaf which collapsed causing the disaster

With respect to Sierra Leone, a country that has seen civil war for quite long period should have been cautious of the effects of environmental degradation in order to prevent any unforeseen tragedies not related to any war.

“Freetown is a coastal city built on wooded hills. Though mudslides are a rare event, this incident was not surprising. Over the past 10 years research papers and civil society organisations have repeatedly warned the government, and individuals who choose to build in unstable areas, that the city faces a serious threat from deforestation on the peninsula”.

“As the city pushes up into the mountains, the population pressures are taking a toll on the forest. Trees are being cut down by people who want land for housing and those who cut wood for their daily needs. About 14.7% of dense forest in 1986 was converted to built-up by 2015. This increases the risk of mudslides as trees usually prevent run-off and forests hold water. When there is prolonged or intense rainfall in places with no trees, the soil becomes saturated and erodes”, (The Conversation).

The report added that there were calls to stop “the extension of settlements into the peninsula hills”, but the authorities took no steps in addressing the situation.

A recent report by Aljazeera stated that “land was – and still is – doled out freely by politicians to their loyalists. Permits and paperwork are issued regardless of the location of the property being built. Shacks that are marked for demolition remain standing, and catchment areas are encroached upon with impunity”.

Some rescue workers pull bodies from the mud

Regarding the Kenya dam disaster, I was not surprised to hear that the owners of the dam did not have operational permit. There could be few questions: since when did the water resource regulator find out that the owners of the dam did not have permit? Are some officials from the regulator benefitting from the dam? Have some of them benefited from such illegal dams that have been ordered to be drained immediately?

The comments by the Kenya water resource regulator clearly depict that some Africans put in leadership positions are just lazy to implement some basic rules that go a long way to helping their own people. To make the long story short, the culture of doing and managing things in Africa has mostly been reactive instead of being proactive. If this had happened in a developed nation, the official in charge could have resigned.

These are the same people in most part of the continent put in charge to manage various activities in their respective countries. No physical work is done by them till a disaster struck. In Ghana, a clear example of such institutions is the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO). Most often, we do not see NADMO educating the populace till a disaster struck. They tour around affected areas, give them few items and that is it.

Here in Ghana, some disasters have occurred which claimed lives of many individuals. One thing which is similar to the aforementioned disasters is that they could have been prevented. Lots of noise is made in the initial stage and after few days, noting is done.

In 2012, an Italian court sent shock waves through the scientific community in a verdict that convicted seven prominent Italian earthquake experts including a former government official of manslaughter in a six year jail term for failing to adequately warn the public about a fatal 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck in the central Italian city of L'Aquila in 2009 which killed more than 300 people.

This is unusual knowing that earthquakes, just like any natural occurrence can never be predicted, yet these experts were imprisoned. How about the actions that we are directly responsible for?

Our attitudes boil down to the fact that we have elected leaders, who just after winning election, focus their attention on winning the next election rather than fulfilling their mandate. The electorates have also allowed themselves to be bought into this idea, thinking that it is the new normal.

Anti –corruption group, Egality Law petition EC: give 14 days ultimatum to investigate alleged corruption at EC

Mrs. Charlotte Osei, EC Chair

Two anti-corruption organizations and Egality Law Firm in Accra have officially written to petition the Electoral Commission (EC) in connection with alleged corruption at the commission’s district office in Kasoa in the Central Region, given them 14 days ultimatum to investigate the case.

The two, Klarity – an online anti-corruption platform where users can anonymously upload corruption related videos, and Tiger Eye Foundation addressed the petition to the EC Chair, Mrs. Charlotte Osei and submitted on Friday April 11^th. A legal practitioner with Egality Law Firm, Mr. Musa Tanko was the leader of the group.

“We are now writing to you formally to petition for the investigation of this complaint, and to request respectfully that you acknowledge receipt of this letter, confirming that the matter will indeed be investigated. We would be grateful if you could ensure that this matter receives the urgent attention of the Electoral Commission. Our client [Dundas Whigham] requests that you acknowledge this letter within fourteen days (14) days”, the letter stated.

According to a Klarity user, the petition was received by the Head of Communications at the EC, Mr. Kofi Dzakpasu and he immediately forwarded to the registrar for the next action to be taken. The user added that, upon receipt, Mr. Dzakpasu mentioned that “the case was already being reviewed and this would speed up the process for the disciplinary committee to take action on the culprit”.

The petition included a formal written letter and over 500 online signatories gathered to press home the EC to take action on the matter. “Klarity have since raised a petition in respect of this matter, the signatories to which are enclosed with the hard copy of this letter”, the letter further added.

Story Background

On January 10^th and April 4^th this year, Corruption Watch – an anti-corruption progrmme on Joy FM Super Morning Show, aired and discussed an investigative work I undertook at the EC head office in Accra and Kasoa to expose wrong doing at the commission for action to be taken by the authorities concerned.

According to the EC, replacement of lost voter identity (ID) cost Ghc5. However, some staff at the two offices mentioned charge unofficial amount ranging from Ghc30 to Ghc50 aside the official amount before this can be done.

That official amount must be paid at the Ghana Commercial Bank account’s number of the EC, and then the person sends the bank receipt to the district office where the previous registration took place for new voter ID to be issued. This means that, EC staff are not to take any money at the “counter”.

However, investigations revealed that some staff at the EC’s head office have abused this directive by charging unofficial amount of money before carrying out this “public service duty”. Investigations were conducted and a staff at the Kasoa district office was caught twice in a week demanding and collecting Ghc30 and Ghc40 for this service.

Due to limited funds, my investigations cannot emphatically state the amount of money the staff has collected from the number of people who have visited her office within a specific period.

However, in one of the videos, she pulled a list of “over 500 people” who were yet to come for their voter ID because there were "no laminate”. Five hundred (500) multiplied by Ghc40 will amount to Ghc 20, 000. This is from only one office. This tells that this practice is not only petty, but bigger.

Further investigations revealed that the “no laminate” claim was untrue as a staff at the head office stated that there were enough laminate.

Please watch video below.

https://googleweblight.com/i?u=https://www.modernghana.com/news/849020/anti-corruption-group-egality-law-petition-ec-gives-14-da.html&hl=en-GH&tg=26&tk=8121979432780776996