A former Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Frederick Worsemao Armah Blay, has said it is erroneous for people to describe President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a “clearing agent”.
He says persons discharged of accusations are taken through investigations by appropriate institutions, adding that “if there is an allegation of corruption, it does not mean that there should necessarily be a conviction to convince you that the right thing is being done.”
According to Mr. Blay, since all persons discharged of allegations against them are done after investigations have been carried out, he cannot describe the President as a clearing agent, especially he being a lawyer.
“I wouldn’t argue that way. If any investigation has taken place over an allegation or accusation or suspicion of somebody having been involved in any conduct that could be described as corrupt practices in our constitution and is refereed to the appropriate body and investigation takes place and the person is cleared, me here as a lawyer, I will not say that President of the Republic or any person in authority has become a clearing [agent]…I have never accused my very good friend, President John Mahama as constituting himself into clearing agent but definitely I will defend that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has not become a clearing agent in this country for those who are involved in corrupt practices,” he told Keminni Amanor on Hot Issues on TV3 Sunday, January 14, 2024.
President Akufo-Addo has been tagged as a clearing agent by many who feel some of the allegations levelled against some of his appointees should have led to conviction after prosecution.
Also, some utterances he has made about some persons caught in some scandals have made people accord him the tag, saying his comments have the propensity to affect investigations into such matters.
Amongst them include a statement he made about Akonta Mining Limited, a company belonging to the NPP Ashanti regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Bosiako, aka Wontumi, to the effect that the company was not involved in illegal mining as being accused of.
READ ALSO: Akufo-Addo defends Wontumi’s Akonta Mining; says firm not engaged in galamsey
Following the comments, John Dramani Mahama, the former president and flag bearer of the NDC, said the President puts pressure on state anti-corruption agencies by his utterances, saying it would be better he stopped to allow the institutions to probe scandals on fair grounds.
“It is unacceptable that President Nana Akufo-Addo has consistently put pressure on state anti-corruption institutions by announcing clearance of appointees and companies that are under investigation for wrongdoing.
“That penchant by the president to absolve his appointees and other close associates of any wrongdoing as he has done with the ongoing investigations into the operations of Akonta Mining Company is a serious dent on the already deteriorating image of the Office of the President,” he posted.
