Secret Tape Saga: Asa B did the same - YB Gyan claims

Former Minister for Information in the erstwhile Kufuor administration, Stephen Asamoah Boateng aka Asabee, says it is shameful that National Organiser of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) Yaw Boateng Gyan sought to justify his actions by means of equalization purposes, after being implicated in a tape recording promising to recruit party foot soldiers to join the country’s security agencies to help the party’s agenda in the elections.

The NDC National Organiser was caught on tape promising to ensure that party activists are specifically recruited into the Special Forces.

The 35-minute recording is reported to have been made at a purported meeting he (Y.B Gyan) held with party foot soldiers about two months ago at an undisclosed location.

In the leaked tape, he said: “The other time we were talking about this Special Forces, we haven’t abandoned it. If you are there it does not mean you cannot still work for us. We will send you there, you will be trained and come back and will be working. When the need arises, we will call you, whatever duties will be assigned you then you’d come back and be working for the party.”

Yaw Boateng Gyan also mentioned in the said recording that he has contacted the Finance Minister, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor for funds to support the recruitment exercise.

He said: “When they gave me the money and I was leaving, it was the Finance Minister himself who called me and called the Finance Director, and told him that as for you, you always come here talking about somebody, you have never spoken about yourself. So I said I have some boys I am working with but now it is hard getting them planted. So he said ok, bring this, bring this and let me get some money for you so that you can give it to them.”

“So as and when we pay and everybody knows that these people have been paid, I am sure they will increase it. So for all you know, in about two, three or four months, God willing if we win these elections and I know we will win, you will see that all of you will be married or something then you will see what jobs will be assigned you,” he added.

Known for his calm disposition, the NDC National Organiser admitted on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia Morning Show that the voice on the leaked tape is his, but said the NDC has no intentions of causing mayhem in this year’s election.

According to him, his job as national organizer of the ruling party is to ensure that the NDC wins the elections and thus if some grassroot members have expressed interest to get themselves employed in some government institutions, he sees nothing wrong in assuring them he will work it out for them. He sought to justify his actions by accusing Mr Asamoah Boateng of doing same for some 300 members of his constituents when he was MP.

“I don’t think it is anything out of the role of somebody like me to assure people because we are in this country when Asamoah Boateng declared that he alone initiated the enlistment of about 300 people for his constituency and that is not a crime to me,” said Mr. Boateng Gyan.

But in a sharp rebuttal on < b>Citi Eye Witness News, the former Information Minister said he is shock at the attempt by the NDC stalwart to justify his grievous act, stressing that Mr. Boateng Gyan should be ashamed of himself.

“I am very surprised by his statement. He must be ashamed of himself. I didn’t recruit people into the police. He must be arrested by the police or penalized by his party executives. I do the directions and not recruitment…we sign the forms for them and we make sure they go through the processes; and it is not just the police. He should be ashamed of himself…he is trying to use people to create mayhem and that is different from what I do. He has been exposed and he should admit it. He should not liken what he has done to me helping my constituents…,” Asabee said.