What Selassie Told U.K. Government About Rawlings' Family

Selassie O'Sullivan-Djentuh, the former boyfriend of Zanetor Rawlings, the first daughter of President Jerry and Nana Konadu Rawlings, has applied to the British government to be given refugee status in that country.

In a five-page statement to the British Home Office, Selassie, 23, gave details of how he met Zanetor, how close they became, why the relationship broke down, alleged attempts to kill him, his abduction and reasons why he and his younger brother should be given asylum. A copy of the statement has been forwarded to the British High Commission in Accra.

We publish the statement to the Home Office;

STATEMENT OF SELASSIE O'SULLIVAN-DJENTUH

A. BACKGROUND

My name is SELASSE O'SULLIVAN-DJENTUH. I am a Ghanaian citizen. I wish to apply for asylum on the following grounds:

I was introduced to Zanetor Rawlings (the eldest daughter of President Rawlings) by my friend Selasse Kpanga. He was in a relationship with Asantewaa Rawlings, the second daughter of President Rawlings.

Zanetor and I exchanged phone calls and visits on a regular basis. Early 1997, I was introduced formally to her parents. Since Zanetor lives with her mother, I came into contact with the First Lady regularly. Both parents were accommodating and hospitable. There was no objection from either side whatsoever to our relationship. I was invited to state functions as part of the First Family's entourage and accorded the same protocol. I had a personal relationship with both parents. I was invited on family trips and went flying with the President on several occasions. He took Zanetor and I to the Presidential Villa at Akuse to spend weekends.

I was on good terms with Zanetor's siblings and treated them like my own. I was the older brother they never had and they were the sisters I never had. My brother Leslie went to Achimota School with Zanetor and Asantewaa and was in the same class with the latter for three years.

My youngest brother Macky is the same age as Kimathi, the only son of the President. Due to security reasons, they were restricted to visiting certain places and had no friends. It was only natural for them to visit my parents' home regularly and spend long hours there. They were always accompanied by armed guards.

My parents were skeptical about the relationship especially the length of time Zanetor and her guards spent in the house and the way the entire family came to the house. My father thought it was not safe for the family. All these notwithstanding, my parents were very hospitable. My mother would cook them meals and also feed the guards and drivers who accompanied them because they could not leave their post and considering the long hours they spent on duty they would otherwise go hungry. My parents never had a personal relationship with Zanetor's parents. Given their concerns about security, they avoided them or at least tried to do so.

I came to University in September 1997 in London and Zanetor went to Dublin. We continued the relationship and exchanged visits regularly. On my arrival in London, I was introduced to the Ghana High Commissioner, Mr. J. Aggrey-Orleans by the First Lady and asked to call on him anytime should the need arise. Anytime the President or First Lady visited London, a car from the Consulate was dispatched to fetch me to meet them.

I went to Ghana in December 1997 to spend Christmas with my family. The First Lady complained about me leaving Zanetor in London where she was spending the holidays with Mr. Aggrey-Orleans, so I was sent back. I arrived in London on Christmas day. Both Zanetor and I went back to Ghana in the summer of 1998.

My relationship with Zanetor was not void of problems like in every relationship and I had a lot of pressure on me. Her condition for being in the relationship was marriage which I promised and we exchanged rings.

During the summer of 1998, her siblings told me about Zanetor's suspicious behaviour. I was also told of this by some of her guards. The suspicions were confirmed when I found out she was allegedly involved in a secret relationship with her flying instructor. I sent her rings back to her and broke the relationship. She became bitter especially after all efforts on her part to reconcile were unfruitful. However I still maintained a good relationship with her family. On one of my visits, my last visit to their house, Kimathi accused me of "challenging" his father because I drove the same car as his father and owned a motorcycle similar to the one owned by his father. I considered it a rather odd statement to be uttered by a child of his age.

B. ATTEMPT TO KILL ME

On November 5, 1999, I was knocked off my motorcycle by a truck. The driver of the vehicle refused to take me to hospital and drove off. I was saved by a bystander who informed my friend who in turn informed my mother. I sustained several injuries and was bedridden for over eight weeks. The Police refused to divulge the identity of the driver and the manner in which the case was handled gave me grounds for suspicion. Initially, the Police claimed that the docket was missing, then later the investigator confided in me that it had been called to the Castle, the Office of the President. He said he was only following orders and had been instructed to be silent.

I was charged with reckless driving by a public tribunal on March 5, four months after the accident without the driver of the truck being charged. They later went on air to announce that I knocked a tipper truck and told the Police the motorbike belonged to the President. It was a big lie.

C. MY ABDUCTION

On January 15 this year, I went to my mother's estate with a friend of mine from London. My mother is a real estate developer. Her site was at Mariville off the Spintex Road, East Airport, Accra. Upon arrival, I saw that there was a light blue van parked with two of my mother's workers in it and five soldiers, some of the soldiers were in uniform. I approached the vehicle and enquired from the workers where they were going. The driver whom I later learnt to be W.O. Addo, ordered me to sit in the van. I enquired where they were taking me. He screamed at me to shut up and ordered his men to put me in the van. An AK47 assault rifle was pointed at my chest whilst the others beat me. I was hit several times by one of the soldiers with the butt of his rifle whilst the others slapped and kicked me to pulp. They hit my head against the van several times before pushing me in. When I was in the van, I heard them radio that they had got me. I then saw another van approach from the other entrance. It was a new VW van and contained armed and uniformed soldiers.

I was driven to the Castle, the seat of government. I was dragged out of the van and beaten again. I was shaved with an old rusty blade and later with a broken bottle. I was told that the President had ordered my hair to be brought to him. They said the President had also ordered them to kill me and dump my body in the sea. I know that my hair was collected. I do not know whether it was actually taken to the President. However, I do know that the President does not believe in a Christian God and believes in fetishes. I also know that Nana Konadu was not happy that I used to take Zanetor to church. She believed that it was possible for a demon to be cast out of one person and for it then to enter another person. She said if Zanetor was in church, a demon may therefore enter her in such circumstances.

I was questioned about my relationship with Zanetor and how many times I slept with her. I was beaten up several times throughout my detention. I was questioned about my knowledge of the Rawlings estate (their properties and buildings) and I told them I knew nothing. The guards insisted Zanetor told me certain secrets and they wanted to know how much I knew. W.O. Budu alleged since my mother had gone on air about my abduction, they could not do what they had planned but they could chase me to any country I run to and finish me off. He said that would even be easier since no one would attribute my death to them. He also alleged that they would make sure my parents are jailed since the judicial service allegedly takes orders from them.

My parents are presently facing trial on three false charges of assault and deceit of public officer and offensive behaviour. The judge handling the case refused to listen to my evidence to support my parents defence. My brother Macky could not go to school because of threats he had received over the phone as well as the rest of the family. We are all living in fear. My mother's 35 houses were razed to the ground by the Police who claimed to be following orders from above.

D. CONVENTION REASONS

I believe that the President wants me to be killed for several reasons. Undoubtedly, he loves his daughter very much and he is aggrieved that our relationship had ended. It is also the case that the presidential family feels affronted because I refused their efforts at reconciliation. However, I believe that the main reasons for the treatment meted out to me and the threats are as follows:

(i) Security: As a result of my relationship, I have knowledge regarding the movements of the presidential family, their habits, friends, security operations, sleeping arrangements. I have been informed that they believe that such information is a threat to their security and that they cannot rely on me to keep it confidential. However, the fact is that I have never had any intention and do not now have any intention of harming the presidential family. I do know though that the President is obsessive about security and it is either "them or us" in such matters. Currently, they view me in the "them" category.

(ii) Politics: During my time with Zanetor, she felt that several of my friends were unsuitable. These were friends I had known for several years. They were the children of persons the presidential family considers as opponents. (i.e. Sam Jonah, Pat Sobodjor and Air Vice Marshall Bob Kotei - who had been executed in 1979 by the AFRC led by Rawlings). I believed that they considered that I will now be available to political opponents and they have thereby attributed to me political opinions and sympathies I do not hold.

In this regard I should say that the response of my mother following my abduction has caused political embarrassment and I believe that the presidential family are also angry about this and consider us as political opponents.

E. CONTINUATION OF THREAT

I believe that although President Rawlings' term of office will end shortly, that the threat to my life will not be removed. I do not know which party will win the election. However, I do know that every effort will be made for the NDC (the President's party) to win. In any event, even if the NDC lost, I believe that Rawlings will still have his personal security apparatus and will not be capable of being controlled by a new government. He will be able to take such action as he determines to be in his personal and political interest. The history of the Limann Administration supports my position.

F. NEWSPAPER SOURCES

We enclose copies of these selected journals:

The Independent - March 14, 2000

The Guide - April 17, 2000

The Chronicle - March 21, 2000

Weekend Chronicle - March 23, 2000

Given the danger to my younger brother Macky, I also wish him to be a dependant to my claim.