63 Diplomatic Passports Gone Missing?

There is no end in sight for what stands as a closet search for cobwebs in the files of the 2008 New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate, the latest being an attempt to ensnare him in a diplomatic passport racket.

President John Evans Atta Mills, who appeared to be vacillating over the issue of going after former office holders in the erstwhile government, is now resolute about the path when he endorsed the “go after them” mantra of his party during his recent tour of the Upper East and West regions.

The plot to rein in Nana Addo is part of the elaborate scheme by the Mills-led administration to cause public disaffection for the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Deep-throat sources said the former NPP flagbearer is being investigated for 63 missing diplomatic passports, which government claimed had gone into wrong hands.

It would not be surprising therefore when the unfurling developments find Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo being presented as a man who when he held office as Foreign Affairs Minister, dished out diplomatic passports to his friends and cronies- persons who would also be smeared with all manner of allegations of improprieties.

The relevant state machinery, DAILY GUIDE has learnt, is busy preparing the documents to facilitate the scheme.

It would be recalled that when he served the country as Foreign Affairs Minister, Nana Akufo-Addo had his office broken into and a number of diplomatic passports stolen.

The incident was not a hidden affair as it made the headlines in the local media, with security agencies tasked to probe the theft.

In spite of the fact that the burglary happened a while ago, it is being tied to the unfurling smear campaign by the dirty operations squad of the National Security apparatus.

Certain persons have already been recruited to assist in this direction and from available signs, it would not be long before the media is choked with state-massaged stories about how the one-time Foreign Minister gave out diplomatic passports to persons who were entitled to the travel documents.

A few weeks ago, a hint of the about-to-be unfurled machination was given by a pro-NDC newspaper when these publications stated that the previous government issued diplomatic passports to persons with questionable integrity.

While falling short of mentioning names, it appears that the publications were gearing towards the eventual ensnaring of the former flag bearer, with a view to dealing him a political fatal blow.

This would not be the first scheme against the one-time Foreign Affairs Minister and flag bearer as a number of previous ones have failed to fly.

Nana Akufo-Addo, who is currently out of the country, was not spared the embarrassing car seizure spree which characterized the early days of the NDC administration.

One of his vehicles parked at the Opera Square area was forcibly driven by a Castle operative to the seat of government.

Not even the pleadings of the driver who attempted showing the relevant documents were heeded by the operative who eventually got the vehicle driven to the Castle.

The state apologized for what they described as a mix-up and that was the end of it.

Nana’s minders, suspicious about what could have happened to the vehicle while it was in the hands of national security operatives, sent it for electronic sweeping.

Not long afterwards however, another vehicle belonging to the 2008 flag bearer was seized while it was awaiting repairs at a garage in Accra.

The Toyota Land Cruiser was towed to the National Security’s Blue Gate office where it stayed for a while until its transfer to the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS).

During the transfer, DAILY GUIDE learnt about how efforts were made to establish the flimsiest of blemishes about the clearance of the vehicle, with a view to creating damage to the image of Nana Akufo-Addo.

Those charged with the task eventually found an iota of blemish in the amount paid as import duty for the vehicle.

In a rare move, the discovery was put out on the public domain as Nana Addo refused to comment, having promised to maintain silence to allow the government a certain honeymoon period.

The amount paid as duty on the vehicle by the original owner, according to the National Security-instigated findings, fell short of the actual sum.

Surprisingly, when he finally broke his silence over national issues, he did not touch on what he had personally gone through at the hands of the national security machinery directly or indirectly.

Other NPP leading personalities have not been left out of the burgeoning schemes, DAILY GUIDE has gathered, and as the days and weeks elapse, names would be put out in the public domain.