Nyantakyi disappointed over criminal charges - Lawyer

Embattled former President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Kwesi Nyantakyi, is disappointed to learn of the charges brought against him by the state in relation to the Anas Aremeyaw Anas Number 12 exposé, Lawyer for the accused, Charles Puozi has revealed.

Lawyer for the ex-President of the FA told Kasapa 102.5 FM that it’s quite surprising that Nyantakyi is still stuck in his predicament, after losing everything related to his job in that manner.

“Generally, even us ourselves as Lawyers felt that the people resigned from the Association, some have lost their international recognition and positions based on the exposé. So we thought it was even enough punishment for the persons involved rather than coming to do something like a criminal charge, especially if you look at the fact that somebody who has suffered a punishment for another act will be brought for trial. But as I said those are things that happened outside Ghana…”

He added:” obviously they will be disappointed because anybody that is charged for some offenses that you were not part or you did not commit them, you’ll be disappointed. This is not something he’d planned in his mind that he’s going to execute. If you look at it from that angle you’ll realize it can happen to everybody in society and also we need to becareful and condemn these things.”

An Accra High court on Wednesday slapped ex-President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Kwesi Nyantakyi, with fraud and corruption charges following his complicity in the Anas Aremeyaw Anas Number 12 Exposé.

He’s been charged with one Abdulai Alhassan, a former member of the Association’s Executive Committee.

The two have been admitted to bail in the sum of ¢1 million with three sureties.

Meanwhile, the case has been adjourned to March 25 for case management conference.

Background

The embattled former President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Kwesi Nyantakyi, came under heavy criticism after the content of ace journalists’ Anas Aremeyaw Anas investigative piece entitled ‘Number12’ aired in Ghana on the 6th of June 2018.

The investigative piece captured Kwesi Nyantakyi supposedly taking $65,000 (£48,000) from an undercover reporter pretending to be a businessman. The video among other things also captured top officials of the football association including its President, Nyantakyi allegedly taking bribes to influence the invitation of players to the national team, to influence the duration of playing time offered to some players and to influence the selection of unfit players and referees to participate in games.

Additionally, the Number 12 documentary captured more than 100 referees allegedly taking bribes to manipulate the outcome of games in a team’s favour. Following the first screening of the video which attracted more than 3,000 persons, many called for a complete dissolution of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and immediate resignation of its embattled president, Kwesi Nyantakyi.

Kwesi Nyantakyi, who was also the first Vice President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) eventually resigned from all football-related positions few days after the video was aired. Fifa subsequently suspensed Kwesi Nyantakyi and later banned him for life.