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30.08.2005 General News

I don't feel safe with Committee - Ansa-Asare

30.08.2005 LISTEN
By GNA

Accra, Aug 30, GNA - Mr Kwaku Ansa-Asare, Director of the Ghana School of Law (GSL), on Tuesday said he did not feel safe with the Five-Member Committee of Enquiry, which was investigating him on allegations of corruption and abuse of office.

He said he intended to appeal to the General Legal Council concerning his fears about the Committee.

Mr Ansa-Asare said this when he cross-examined a Witness, Mr Peter Worglo, who is in charge of students' academic records at the GSL. Mr Ansa-Asare said he had cause to believe that Mr George Amegah, Secretary; Mr Tetteh Mensah, Assistant Director at the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and Mr Eric Francis Agbolosu, Chief State Attorney, all Committee members; were not fit to remain members of the Committee. He said they were involved in the investigations in a manner that made their integrity as neutral Committee Members doubtful and he, therefore, requested the Committee to give him time to apply to the General Legal Council.

Mr Ansa-Asare demanded that those Members whose fairness he had cause to doubt should get into the witness box for him to cross-examine them.

Mr Justice Akamba turned down Mr Ansa-Asare's request. Mr Ansa-Asare said he then believed that the Committee had decided to rule him out of sittings.

He insisted that he should be allowed to cross-examine the mentioned Committee Members if justice was to be fully served. Mr Ansa-Asare said through his own investigations, he had found out that Mr Tetteh Mensah and Mr George Amega were present at SFO when Mr Peter Worglo went there on Thursday, August 25 to report that Mrs Linda Doku, Registrar at the GSL had instructed Mr Worglo to register Mr Ansa-Asare's daughter, Ms Irene Ansa-Asare.

Mr Ansa-Asare alleged that Mr Tetteh Mensah even guided Mr Worglo as to how to write his statement and that the two should not have had anything to do with Mr Worglo's evidence since it did not augur well for them as members of the Committee, who had involved themselves in an earlier investigations in the case he was being accused of.

He then accused Mr Eric Agbolosu, Chief State Attorney of conferring with Mr Maxwell Opoku Agyemang, Lecturer at the GSL and a petitioner on one occasion after the sitting of the Committee. That, he said, "cast a serious slur on the credibility of the Committee Member".

At a certain stage the Committee Chairman reminded Mr Ansa-Asare that the Committee was not there to be directed by him (Ansa-Asare). Mr Justice Akamba said his main goal was to find out the truth concerning the allegations being made against Mr Ansa-Asare.

Mr Ansa-Asare then sought the permission of the Chairman to leave the sitting since he had to present some documents to the Chief Justice and left.

The Committee Chairman ordered Mrs Linda Doku, Registrar of the GSL and Mr Asuama Odoom, Acting Chief Accountant of the GSL, to appear before the Committee during the next sitting with documents covering the purchase of books by the GSL and all other relevant documents concerning allegations made against them. Sitting continues on Wednesday August 31.

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