FORMER PRESIDENT JERRY John Rawlings has revised his date of fate with the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC).
The ceremonial Founder of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) would now arrive in Ghana to receive the subpoena prepared for him mid-February, instead of next week as originally reported by this paper two weeks back, Gye Nyame Concord has gathered.
Confirming the last minute changes to the itinerary of the former President Wednesday evening, Mr. Victor Kojo Smith, Special aide to the former president, said the date change was because of last minute modifications to Rawlings’ travelling plans.
He debunked the speculation that Rawlings might stay abroad beyond the six-month extended mandate of the NRC to avoid being served with the subpoena, indicating that the former Ghanaian leader would certainly honour his date of fate with the NRC.
This is the second time Rawlings, who is expected to be served with the subpoena by the NRC as soon as he returns to the country, has altered his return trip to Ghana after his trip abroad last December to a number of nations, including the UK, where he is expected to book his flight to Ghana from, and the West African state of Niger.
The changes in Rawlings’ travel plan means he would arrive in the country days after the expected testimony of Mr. Kwabena Adyepong, Press Secretary to President John Agyekum Kufuor, next week Wednesday, February 4.
Agyepong is expected to testify in the case involving the murder of his late father, Justice K. A. Agyepong, in 1982.
Justice Agyepong was one of the three High Court judges – the others were Justice Mrs. Cecilia Koranteng-Addow and Justice Mr. S. P. Sarkodie - kidnapped together with Major Sam Acquah, a retired army officer and murdered in June 1982.
Ex-president Rawlings, who was expected to appear before the NRC with his one-time security coordinator, Captain (Rtd) Kojo Tsikata, around the same time would also arrive after the expected evidence of the man also known as “Gbagbladza”.
Both men would be expected to answer charges of their alleged roles in the 1982 murders of the three High Court judges and Major Acquah.
A number of witnesses who have appeared before the NRC have fingered Rawlings and Tsikata over the four murders though both men have consistently denied their involvement in the affair.
Both men were also cited in a document presented to the NRC in connection with the murders by Mrs. Jemima Acquah, widow of the late Major Sam Acquah, the retired Army officer killed with the three judges presented to the NRC.
“There are documents before us which mention Mr. Rawlings and Kojo Tsikata as being possibly connected to or involved in those killings,” noted NRC Executive Secretary, Dr. Ken Agyemang Attafuah, recently.
Consequently, he explained that Rawlings will be subpoenaed to appear before the Commission as soon as he arrived in Accra.
He said the Commission prepared the subpoena that it wanted served on the former President as far back as November last year.
The NRC could however not serve the subpoena on Rawlings because he was out of the country.
“It was not his fault and we have not been able to serve it on him. But as soon as we know that he is in the country, we will try and effect a service of subpoena on him,” Attafuah said two weeks ago
