Adamafio And Lebanese Businessmen In Trouble

Three Lebanese businessmen, Mohammed Wolley, Fawzi Wolley, Bassam Kabara and Abdul L. Mikati have been cited in a letter dated 04/1/01 to the former Minister of Interior by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) as having been aided by the former Minister of Interior to evade its directives.

In the rather strongly worded letter, which was copied to the Inspector General of Police, and Commissioner of Police, CID, CHRAJ wrote, "I wish to refer the Commission's ruling in respect of the above mentioned complaint." The original complaint involved fraud perpetrated by the Lebanese against another businessman. The letter continues, "In the said ruling, the Commission directed the Police 'to properly investigate the complaint lodged by the Complainant and prosecute the Respondents i.e. Mohammed Wolley Fawzi Wolley, Bassam Kabara and Abdul L. Mikati without any further delay.'

However, the Commission has reliably been informed that, by virtue of a letter addressed by the Complainant to the Commission, dated 4th December, 2000, you the Honourable Minister had instructed the Police to stop investigating the Complaint of the Complainant. The Commission is further informed that you assigned as a reason for the said instruction the fact that the complaint forms part of a subject of civil cases pending before the courts. The Commission takes a serious objection to this twist of events with due respects to you."

Mohammed Wolley Fawzi Wolley has been in the Ghanaian media for what can be described as shady deals. One such unresolved deal concerns a NISSAN Patrol 4x4 vehicle which is suspected to have been stolen from a West African country and registered in Ghana as GT 2574 A by Wolley.

Though the vehicle has been seized and is with the police, information reaching The Accra Mail, says Wolley used his NDC "contacts" and is in the process of "buying back" the vehicle, which was seized from him in the first place. Wolley's powers were so broad in the NDC that, the former Minister of Interior, Tawiah Adamafio, is alleged to use to brace up any time he met the Lebanese businessman.

That's how come that the former Minister could collude with him and others to flout CHRAJ directives.

In the fourth paragraph of CHRAJ's letter, Adamafio is taken on thus: "In the Commission's view the instructions by you to the Police is unfortunate since it does not only negate the Commission's directive but militates against a notorious principle of legal procedure that where there are a criminal complaint and a civil suit pending at the same time the criminal complaint takes precedence over the civil suit and is therefore prosecuted before the civil suit."

In other words, Tawiah Adamafio has interfered with the cause of justice. CHRAJ has accordingly instructed him that "In the circumstances, the Commission should be very grateful if you would rescind or vacate the said instructions to enable the police continue with their investigations so that justice may not only be done, but may be seemed to be done." Unfortunately, it will take the incoming Minister, the Hon. Malik Yakubu to carry out the CHRAJ orders.