"I Never Bribed Anybody" - PV Obeng

Mr. Paul Victor Obeng, former adviser to the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), has stated that he never bribed anybody including the former editor-in-chief of the Chronicle Group of Newspapers, Kofi Coomson, when he appeared before the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), charged for unjust enrichment on the basis of a series of reports made by Coomson in The Ghanaian Chronicle.

Answering questions from newsmen at Tema on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day on May 13, this year, Mr. Obeng said that serious allegations were made against him that he owned businesses in the United States and elsewhere in the world.


However, he said, those making the allegations never showed up when they were called upon to substantiate them, compelling the commission to take the decision that was taken.


"Kofi Coomson happened to be one of those people who made the allegations but I did not bribe him," the eloquent PV Obeng said dispelling allegations that he may have influenced him.


PV, who went low profile after leaving the PNDC, caused quite a stir recently when he was appointed to the board of the Private Enterprises Foundation. Eyebrows were raised in certain quarters for what was perceived as drawing too close to the NPP government.


Mr. Obeng is now engaged in salt business in partnership with the Nigerian multi-billionaire, Aliko Dankote, who is also entering the cement re-bagging operation in Tema and Takoradi.

The PNDC heavyweight was one of five persons dragged before the CHRAJ by Coomson in 1996 on charges of corrupt enrichment and abuse of office.


The others were Dr. Adjei-Maafo, then Secretary for Cocoa Affairs and board member of West Africa Mills, (brother of Finance Minister Osafo Maafo), K. K. Sarpong, boss of Cocoa Marketing Company, C. B. Ntim and Ibrahim Adam, the convicted former Minister of Food and Agriculture.


A report in The Independent making similar allegations against Commander Osei Wusu, the then Minister of Interior also caused his summons before CHRAJ.


However, the then editor of the Independent, now High Commissioner to Sierra Leone Mr. Kabral Blay Amihere declined to take the witness box to substantiate the allegations and deferred that to CHRAJ.


Coomson however accepted the invitation and jumped to wage a series of direct and open testimony against the powerful men until, he was himself hauled to prison following on a charge of seditious libel for reporting that a foreign newspaper, African Observer and Tribune de Geneve had alleged that the Rawlings government was engaged in drug and arms trafficking.

Both the publisher and editor of Free Press, the late Tommy Thompson and Mr. Eben Quarcoo were also tried under section 185 of the criminal code 1960.


Commenting on Mr. Obeng's remarks Coomson said when he was finally given bail, he was summoned by CHRAJ to go and substantiate his allegations.


He said he became puzzled by the decision of the lawyers representing him to pull out one after the other just when he was preparing for the case. He recalls that the only person who spoke to him to be 'cool' with PV was the late Asantehene, Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, who told him in the presence of Mr. Sebastian Freiku, the regional editor of the Chronicle, that PV is not a politician, and that he should go softly on him.


Coomson also said the Asantehene gave him ?500,000 "to compensate for obeying his summons to come to Kumasi from Accra." When he declined it, he was told that it was an insult in Asante custom to reject a gift from the King.


His lawyers Joe Ghartey now at the President's office and Mr. Peter Zwennes of Zwennes and Co. both explained that they had commitments and could not be available.

The last lawyer who pulled out at the eleventh hour, less than two days before he was to face PV broke his resolve.


He was Mr. Yoni Kulendi, a rising star in the legal profession who used to be in the chambers of Akufo-Addo, Prempeh and Co.


Coomson said he later found out that it was Nana Akufo-Addo who asked him not to go ahead, ostensibly because Mr. PV Obeng had sought the advice of Captain Kojo Tsikata, a close friend of Nana Addo who also then leaned on Yonni to pull out.


"At that point I thought, that's it!, after all it was up to CHRAJ to investigate the allegations and come out with its findings, but even then I prepared a substantial address chastising PV Obeng and calling on him to come clean".


He recalled that it was Captain Effah Dartey, the current Deputy Minister of Local Government who represented him on that day after a late night appeal to him.

PV had a large army of lawyers including Larry Adjetey, Nana Akuoko Sarpong, Norbert Kujawu, Opoku Kyeretwie, and Stanley Amarteifio.


"None of my lawyers reported to me that PV Obeng has approached them, and I know that he knows better than that to make any such overtures to me".


He noted that Mr. Emile Short's office recently claimed after persistent enquiries that most of the files on that case had been lost after computer crash.


He said it would be interesting to re-open the files on some of the CHRAJ case following the then Government's release of a white paper that cleared all the men.