BNI wants Akufo-Addo’s dept. minister-designate withdrawn over cocaine allegations

Ghana’s Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) has petitioned the country’s president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to withdraw the nomination of deputy minister-designate for agriculture, George Best, also known as George Kwame Oduro.

A letter from the Bureau to the President dated March 23, 2017 stated Mr Oduro aka Kay, who was on May 19, 2008 mentioned as a principal suspect in a cocaine case in Geneva, Switzerland where he is wanted.

The BNI’s investigations have revealed that Mr Oduro arrived at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra on May 17, 2008, on a Canadian passport numbered LJ557784 aboard Royal Air Maroc

“He is believed to be an accomplice of Nelson Troy EDWARD, a Ghanaian arrested in Geneva on 13th July, 2007 for possessing three thousand and fourteen (3,014) grams of cocaine,” the BNI letter stated.

According to the BNI, the investigating Magistrate who handled the case involving Nelson Troy, issued an international arrest warrant for Mr Oduro’s arrest in 2008.

The BNI’s letter, a copy of which was sighted by 3News, was in response to a letter from the presidency dated March 17, 2017 that requested security background checks of some 54 ministers and deputy ministers nominated by President Akufo-Addo.

Meanwhile, the minority leader of Parliament , Haruna Iddrisu on Thursday raised the issue in Parliament and demanded that the nominee who is expected to be vetted on April 6, is withdrawn.