Prof. Oduro said this when The Ghanaian Lens reached him via telephone yesterday to find out what his outfit has been doing about the damning allegations that have been made against Mr. Allan Kyeremanteng, Minister of Trade, Industry, PSI and Private Sector Development, who is also one of the about twenty persons who are jostling for the position of flagbearer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the 2008 elections.
Prof. Oduro said, “I have seen these allegations in the media, but we are currently engrossed in finding solutions to the energy crisis and the problems on the student’s front. You will agree with me that currently there is nothing on the table that is more pressing than the on-going energy crisis and the crisis on the student’s front, and we are giving these problems our fullest attention to find solutions to them.”
“There are other constitutionally mandated bodies like the CHRAJ and the Police, who are charged with the responsibility of investigating such matters, and I have taken notice of the fact that a petition has been filed with CHRAJ. From all indications CHRAJ would conduct its own investigations into the matter. We are prepared to wait for CHRAJ to finish its investigations and then we may comment on it, stating what we may not agree with or otherwise,” Prof. Oduro stated.
Asked whether what he was saying does not amount to saying that his office is redundant or, at best, superfluous, with regards to its supposed role as an anti-corruption agency, Prof. Oduro queried, “after all that I have told you that we are doing on the energy crisis and the crisis on the students front you still think that my office is redundant or superfluous?”
To which it was pointed out to him that the his outfit is supposed to be an anti-corruption agency therefore if corruption allegations have been made against Minister of state but his outfit would not conduct its own investigations but wait for other bodies to conduct their investigations only for them (Office of Accountability) to come and comment on such investigations then it means the Office of Accountability is unnecessary, superfluous and redundant.
“I don’t agree. We are part of the Good Governance structures and we are playing our role. Helping to find solutions to the problems on the student front as well as helping to find solutions to the energy crisis are all part of good governance, and we are playing our role,” Prof. Oduro asserted.
It would be recalled that a former Greater Accra Regional Treasurer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Kwesi Arthur, has petitioned the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate the Minister of Trade, Industry, PSI and Private Sector Development in respect of acts of impropriety that the petitioner alleges have been committed in the management and administration of the Export Development Fund, (EDIF).
The allegations made by Mr. Arthur accused Allan Kyeremanteng of conflict o f interest, cronyism, favouritism, causing financial loss to the state, corrupt practices, and general maladministration of the EDIF.
The Minister has since issued a public statement that sought to refute the allegations.
Sources close to the Minister have been casting insinuations that suggest that they suspected that Mr. Kwesi Arthur was instigated by the camp of Nana Akuffo-Addo, another of the persons contending for the NPP flagbearership, to level the allegations so as to “throw dirt at Allan and embarrass him.” But The Ghanaian Lens has learnt that the pendulum of suspicion has since swung away from the Nana Akuffo-Addo camp and is now hovering over the Chief of Staff, Mr. Kwodwo Mpiani.
According to Castle sources, the pendulum of suspicion has swung to Mr. Kwodwo Mpiani because of his vehement position against the proposition that an Ashanti should become the flagbearer of the NPP after Mr. Kufuor.
Allan Kyeremanteng, who has tried unsuccessfully to pass off as a Fanti instead of the Ashanti that he is, is thus one of the persons whose candidature Mr. Mpiani vehemently opposes. Other such Ashantis include the President’s brother, Dr. Addo-Kufuor.
Mr. Kwodwo Mpiani is said to have told Mr. Kufuor in the face that an Ashanti candidate would not fly, for which reason he (Mpiani) is strenuously pushing for Paapa Owusu Ankoma to become the flagbearer of the NPP.
Castle sources say that Mr. Mpiani’s disagreement with the President over this matter has gotten to the stage where the two no longer discuss the NPP flagbearership contest.
According to our sources the President is seriously considering ways of cutting out sources of funds to Kwodwo Mpiani as a way of stifling the Owusu Ankoma campaign of much needed funds.
Indeed, the reported directive by the President that the Ghasna@50 Secretariat should close shop is seen as one such move to cut possible sources funds to Mr. Mpiani and ultimately to the Owusu-Ankoma campaign.
Paradoxically, even though Mr. Kwesi Arthur, the man whose petition has sparked all these, is known to be a staunch supporter of Dan Botwe, another of the persons aspiring for the NPP flagbearership, not a single accusing finger has been pointed in the direction of Dan Botwe, at least not publicly.
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