Tsikata's Dream Shattered

* As NRC is undecided on his request to meet members of SIB
The dream of Captain (Rtd) Kojo Tsikata, a former national security adviser, to meet the members of Special Investigations Board (SIB) face to face over his alleged involvement in the murder of the three High Court Judges and a retired army officer in 1982 seems as remote now as it has ever been.

The National Reconciliation Commission (NRC), to whom he made the request for re-opening of SIB investigations, is not certain this can happen, The Chronicle has learnt.

During his recent appearance before it, Mr. Tsikata prevailed upon the NRC to invite the members of the SIB who implicated him as one of the alleged conspirators in the killing of the three High Court Judges and a retired army officer for a show down to clear his name once and for all.

But when The Chronicle contacted the Executive Secretary of the NRC, Dr. Kenneth Attafuah on the position of the commission, he said, "I have not been advised by the commission when it can adhere to the demands of Captain (Rtd.) Kojo Tsikata. We will come to that in its own good time."

He continued, "I am not able to give you a date, I am not even able to indicate whether Captain Kojo Tsikata's request will necessarily be met because I am not able to say or I am not advised by the commission to say. I am only the executive secretary."

When pressed further, Dr. Attafuah could not tell whether or not the commission would oblige the request of the ex-National Security advisor.

He reiterated that the commission as an independent administrative tribunal, works according to its own schedule and has already scheduled its work at Cape Coast for two weeks and would give the chance to everybody to testify.

The commission, he stressed was committed to ensuring justice to all persons who were or are named as alleged perpetrators or whose conducts were impugned.

"The Commission is an impartial investigative body to give the opportunity to everybody whose conduct has been impugned by people who appear before it as long as the person complies with the procedures of the commission."

The procedure mainly entails the prospective witness addressing a statement to the commission and completing the commission's own statement forms, all of which Dr. Attafuah said could be done in a matter of a few minutes.

However the timeframe for this process had elapsed since January 13 2004 and those who failed to take advantage have effectively missed the boat, according to the Commission's timetable.

Calling for a chance to meet the SIB members Capt. Tsikata told the NRC that he had been living under the pain and agony for the past 20 years for his alleged involvement in the abduction and gruesome murders in the wake of the PNDC revolution.

According to him, the SIB implicated him in order to get rid of him as the security advisor. "I want the commission to invite the members of the SIB for me to look into their eyes and ask them questions."

Tsikata said he would welcome fresh investigations into the matter by and independent and impartial body.