THESE FORMER MINISTERS SET FOR COURT

…Don Arthur Committee recommends

When National Security Adviser, Brigadier Nunoo Mensah affirmed President Mills’ decision to prosecute former Ministers who had fallen foul of the law last week, many Ghanaians were convinced of yet an anticipated marathon prosecution process, perhaps likely to equal similar bouts of prosecution witnessed during the Kufuor administration.

It is now certain TODAY, can confirm on authority that the National Security, the body charged with the responsibility of conducting forensic auditing of activities and programmes as contained in the Don Arthur-led Government Transitional Team report on some former Ministers of State had finished with its work. It is evident from their findings that only the courts with the co-operation of the personnel involved can help resolve some of the issues raised by the Don Arthur Committee.

Hence the decision by the State, as TODAY gathered to begin prosecution of these State functionaries. Perhaps that gave Brigadier Nunoo Mensah the firm conviction to go public on the issue.

The list TODAY’S sorties at the National Security discovered includes, Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani, former Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Chief of Staff; Mr. Joseph Ankamah, former Special Assistant to Mr. Mpiani; Dr. Charles Yves Wereko-Brobbey, former Chief Executive Officer of Ghana @50 Secretariat; Mrs. Gladys Asmah, the premier Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs and Minister of Fisheries and Hon. Cecilia Obeng Dapaah, former Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines.

The rest are Hon. Abubakar Saddique, the former Minister of Water Resources,Works and Housing; Mr. K.T. Hammond, a former deputy Minister of Energy; Mr. Kwadwo Adjei Darko, former Minister of Local Government and Rural Development and Maxwell Kofi Jumah, former deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development.

Others are Ambassador D.K. Osei, the former Secretary to President Kufuor; Dr. Richard Anane, former Minister of Transportation and Mr. Hackman Owusu Agyemang, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Works, Housing and Water Resource.

Mr. Mpiani is expected to answer questions on a number issues raised by the Don. Arthur Committee. Some of them are in connection with operations at the Ghana @50 Secretariat, the 2007 AU Summit hosted by Ghana and a host of other government businesses that he represented the President and others that he signed on behalf of then President John Agyekum Kufuor.

Another person whose charges are also related to the Ghana @50 Secretariat is Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobbey, the Chief Executive Office of the temporarily established Secretariat. Although Dr. Wereko-Brobbey tried to push every activity engaged in by the Secretariat to Mr. Mpiani, the Supervisory Minister, during the sitting of the Government Transitional Team, he has nonetheless been indicted with multiple complicity in the award of contracts and other related issues.

The same applies to the former Special Adviser to Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani, Mr. Joseph Ankamah. Similarly, all other former Ministers are being indicted in the discharge of their ministerial responsibilities. Dr. Richard Anane’s has to do with the sourcing of funds for the many road works that the Kufuor administration undertook within the eight years rule.

In the case of Hon. Hackman Owusu Agyemang, his charges range from certain decisions that he took while serving as Minister of Interior and Works and Housing. The most hard hit accusation being the complicity in his handling of the Ghana Water Company, and the way he handled some State and Private security institutions when he was the Minister of the Interior.

Although Hon. Abubakar Saddique has being explaining in the media his role in the allocation of State houses and properties, he is still indicted by the Government Transitional Team and has to perhaps extent those explanations to the law courts.

The problems of Cecilia Dapaah, Gladys Asmah and Hon Adjei Darko are also connected to their respective Ministries, likewise that of Maxwell Kofi Jumah, Ambassador D.K. Osei and K.T Hammond.

Pix of: Kwadwo Mpiani, Kwadwo Adjei Darko, , K.T. Hammond, Ricahard Anane, Abubakar Saddique, Gladys Asmah, Kofi Jumah, Wereko-Brobbey and Hackman Owusu Agyemang

source; Today Newspaper