Missing Money in Libya - What's Happened to the Report?

IT IS OVER a year now since a committee was set up by the government to investigate circumstances under which monies totalling several hundreds of thousands of dollars went missing at the Ghana Embassy in Libya.

We have heard stories about accusations and counter-accusations, threats by deportees against persons then in charge of the Embassy and denials by embassy officials and some Ghanaian bureaucrats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Chronicle is not too clear on the time-frame officially put up for the committee's work. What is, however, clear is that getting this report out and making it public has delayed for too long, and such official acts of playing politics with issues does not help any government interested in the welfare of its citizens.

Whatever the faults or even crimes of our boys who found themselves in Libya were, it is plain truth that the monies were stolen. The other palpable truth is that our men in the embassy who offered to assist the poor boys by keeping their monies for them stand accused. Period.

Assurances by the sector ministry that government is arranging to have the boys' monies refunded to them is heart-warming and refreshing as is the pledge to punish offenders who might have gotten foul of the law with respect to the theft.

The Chronicle admits that travelling without the necessary formalities as regards documentation is not only unhealthy, but dangerous. We equally appreciate the efforts the Legal and Counsular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in opening their doors to Ghanaian travellers who through folly or plain ignorance, suffer the pain that arises from not travelling properly.

We do not, however, believe the government gains anything by delaying the coming out of the report and acting on its recommendations expeditiously.

Already, the boys are claiming - even though they have not been able to substantiate it - that their monies were used to fund the campaign of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the last elections.

Not convinced that their plight is being alleviated, the new allegation they are making is that because a key suspect in the saga has joined the New Patriotic Party (NPP) the government is finding it difficult to "take the bull by the horn."

We are convinced that the issue of the stolen monies in Libya is not one that should take more than six months to resolve. We are, therefore, calling on the government to act now and act quickly.