Former BNI boss seeks justice

The man, whom until his dismissal earlier this year was the Director of the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI), Elias Owusu Fordwour, has filed for arbitration and justice at the National Reconciliation Commission. The source of his grievance is the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC), which according to Owusu Fordwour, “unfairly and illegally” detained him in 1989 for ten months, after confiscating his property.

Owusu Fordwour, who at that time was one of the very few lawyers who defied the Ghana Bar Associations decision to boycott the PNDC’s Public Tribunal system, acted as leading counsel for persons who appeared before the tribunal. He was later to become its victim when he was accused of bribery, convicted and sentenced to imprisonment. More than a decade after facing humiliation under the very system he patronized, he is today taking advantage of the introduction of a statutory redress by applying to the NRC. His application comes barely six months after his controversial exit from the strategic position of Director of BNI.

Owusu Fordwour, whose exit is still a source of debate was reported in the Daily Graphic to have resigned his position in protest against alleged interference by the then National Security Advisor, Major General Hamidu, who also resigned shortly afterwards. However, reliable security sources insist the BNI boss was dismissed for an offense, which is yet to be disclosed.

The man, whom until his dismissal earlier this year was the Director of the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI), Elias Owusu Fordwour, has filed for arbitration and justice at the National Reconciliation Commission. The source of his grievance is the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC), which according to Owusu Fordwour, “unfairly and illegally” detained him in 1989 for ten months, after confiscating his property.

Owusu Fordwour, who at that time was one of the very few lawyers who defied the Ghana Bar Associations decision to boycott the PNDC’s Public Tribunal system, acted as leading counsel for persons who appeared before the tribunal. He was later to become its victim when he was accused of bribery, convicted and sentenced to imprisonment. More than a decade after facing humiliation under the very system he patronized, he is today taking advantage of the introduction of a statutory redress by applying to the NRC. His application comes barely six months after his controversial exit from the strategic position of Director of BNI.

Owusu Fordwour, whose exit is still a source of debate was reported in the Daily Graphic to have resigned his position in protest against alleged interference by the then National Security Advisor, Major General Hamidu, who also resigned shortly afterwards. However, reliable security sources insist the BNI boss was dismissed for an offense, which is yet to be disclosed.