Victor Smith denies 'storming' Castle

A member of President Mills' transition team, Mr Victor Smith, has denied media reports that he purposely took soldiers to the Osu Castle to impound state vehicles.

The denial follows Mr Smith's visit to the Castle to impound government vehicles which were being re-fuelled.

The Daily Guide newspaper in its Thursday 8 edition carried reports that Mr Smith, also a former aide of former President Jerry John Rawlings, visited the former seat of government, where a heated scuffle ensued.

But speaking to Joy FM in an interview on Thursday, Mr Smith said the reports were rather mischievous.

He said a member of the President's security had accosted a former worker at the Castle who had issued documents claiming ownership of one of the Ghana @ 50 vehicles.

The vehicle, he said, was among a fleet of state vehicles which were under close watch at the Castle.

He stated that “the President's security member who was not certain about what sort of transaction that could have been refused to let him take the car out.”

Mr Smith said a misunderstanding ensued for which he stood as a mediator, stressing “I calmed the tempers of the arguing persons.”

“The President's ADC who was in charge of his personal security had detailed security personnel and part of the President's security in mufti to go with me to the Castle so I will introduce them as coming from the Office of the President for them to have a discussion on the takeover and the handing over note from the outgoing of the President's security.”

Meanwhile a security analyst at the Kofi Annan International Centre for Peace Keeping Training, Dr Kwesi Aning, has called condemned the use of military persons by government officials to effect arrests.

He said the Mills' administration must rather activate the “appropriate” security agencies to deal with such matters involving the transfer of government vehicles.

Story by Fiifi Koomson