NDC protecting its ‘baby’ STL - Casely Hayford

Government’s reaction to an alleged discovery of a document that profiles the workers of Israeli IT firm Superlock Technology Limited (STL), in the hands of three arrested South African ex-police officers, is suggestive of an attempt on the part of officialdom to protect the company, which offered data transmission services to Ghana’s Electoral Commission in 2012, financial analyst Sydney Casely-Hayford has said.

“If there was such a document, I think it is just another one of these political gimmicks being thrown into it. By making an issue for discussion, what the NDC is telling us is that by implication it is protecting its baby,” he stated.

The Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) is reported to have found a profile document of STL cataloguing its operations, and current and past workers of the company in possession of some the arrested ex-cops.

The trio, Chris Hazis, 54, also known as Major Ahmed Shaik (rtd), WO/Denver Dwayhe Naidu (rtd), 39, and Captain Mlungiseleli Jokani (rtd), 45, were picked up at the El Capitano Hotel at Agona Duakwa in the Central region.

They were said to be training some young people in various security drills, including unarmed combat, weapon handling, VIP protection techniques, and rapid response manoeuvres. They have been charged with false declaration and unlawful training. They were put before court on Thursday March 24. They pleaded not guilty and were each granted a GHS20, 000 bail with sureties. The BNI is still holding them despite the bail, a situation that has angered their lawyers.

But Mr Casely-Hayford indicated on Citi FM’s ‘The Big Issue’ that it was not out of place if such a document was found in the possession of the trio, if there is any truth to that story at all.

“If it were in a business context, where you are looking to come and compete against a company like STL because there is a request for proposals out there from the EC asking for proposals to award a contract to a company, which is going to be able to report on the results of the elections in 2016, everybody, who is in the know is aware that STL will bid because of their track record. Whoever has the documents, even if it is true, there is absolutely nothing [wrong] with it because it is just competitor profiling,” he insisted.

“Microsoft does it against Apple, Apple does it against Blackberry, Blackberry does it against Android in order to assess strengths and weaknesses, so they know where they stand in the business environment,” he stressed.