Ghanaian in trouble for contesting for LA Mayor

Los Angeles (USA) -- An appealed filed by a Ghanaian-American, Kwame Boateng, against his conviction in a politically-motivated case, will be heard by a Los Angeles Court of Appeal on March 21, 2002. Boateng was convicted on trumped up charges brought up against him by a few Los Angeles Police Officers, for daring to run for the position of a Mayor for the city about three years ago.

In the course of the earlier trial, a prosecutor, described Boateng as being arrogant for merely sending his resume to former President Bill Clinton, seeking an appointment as a Peace Envoy or an Ambassador to an African country. Didn’t you ask the President of the United States to appoint you as an Ambassador to an African country? The prosecutor asked the former Los Angeles Mayoral candidate.

Earlier, a senior Los Angeles election official, Joseph Giles, had been quoted as saying that he wanted Boateng convicted in order to prevent him from running for public office in future. Alarmed at the revelations, Kwame Boateng wrote to the former President, complaining about the plot against him for seeking to serve the United States as a public officer. The Justice Department responded to Boateng’s letter.

Meanwhile, the trial has been described variously as being “ethnically-motivated, vindictive, a sham and racist inclined.” Many see the trial as an example of the limitations of American democracy, under which some must be the contestants and the rest, the voters!