After viewing aspects of a yet-to-be released investigative work by journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas on ‘Football and Politics dubbed ‘Number 12’, Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo has ordered for criminal investigations into alleged conducts of “defrauding by false pretenses”, influence peddling, bribery among others by the leader of the country’s football, Kwesi Nyantakyi.
Ghana’s President is said to be outraged that he and his vice are mentioned in another jurisdiction supposedly as being persons who can be influenced with money to take decisions to favour possible investors.
“The President of the Ghana Football Association, Kwesi Nyantakyi is supposedly seen attempting to use the President’s name and that of the Vice-President and other senior officials of government to induce supposed potential investors into our country to part with various sums of monies,” Samuel Abu Jinapor, a deputy Chief of Staff at Ghana’s Presidency announced at a news conference Tuesday.
He continued: “The President, as a responsible citizen and indeed and in fact more particularly, as the chief and custodian of all our laws and enforcer of our laws, has had to consult and evaluate the content of this investigative piece.
“The President, after these consultations, is fully satisfied that a prima facie basis has been established for criminal investigations to be launched into the conduct of the President of the Ghana Football Association, Mr. Kwesi Nyantakyi and any other accomplices that may exist.
“And therefore, the president has reported this matter to the legally sanctioned and mandated agencies of state, the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service to commence investigations into this matter.
“The investigations is ongoing. We want to assure the Ghanaian people that the president is determined to fight crime, corruption, influence peddling, bribery and instill disciplined integrity.
“We will entreat Ghanaians to be calm and allow the legally mandated security agencies to complete investigations. Anyone found culpable in this investigation will be made to face the full rigours of the law,” Jinapor noted.
The Ghana FA President is said to have been taped in supposed meetings with investors outside the country.
Nyantakyi, the Caf 1st Vice-President and a Fifa Council member was out of Ghana on continental duties when the news broke and is set to be cutting short his trip to return to the country to subject himself under police investigations.
