Former Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul has emphasized that officials from the previous Akufo-Addo administration are ready to be held accountable for their actions while in office.
However, he stressed that the current government must follow the proper procedure when demanding accountability.
Speaking in Parliament on February 12, Nitiwul firmly rejected any notion of evading responsibility, saying, “We are not cowards; we will account to anybody who wants us to account.”
Mr. Nitiwul specifically addressed the case of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, who he said had informed the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) about his medical travel abroad during an investigation. He argued that it was unjustified for armed military personnel to raid Ofori-Atta’s home when he was out of the country.
The remarks came in response to comments by Member of Parliament for Yapei Kusawgu, John Jinapor, who recalled how national security operatives raided his home in 2017 during investigations into the Ameri deal. Mr. Jinapor described the distress the raid caused his family, especially his young child, and criticized the actions of the operatives.
Mr. Nitiwul pointed out that in a democracy, military personnel should not be used to conduct home raids, particularly when the person involved had already informed authorities that they would cooperate upon their return. He defended Mr.Ofori-Atta’s actions, reiterating that the former minister had made it clear that he was abroad but would report back when available.
“The right way to do this is to follow due process,” Nitiwul asserted. “You cannot send soldiers to raid someone’s home, especially when they’ve already communicated with you and agreed to cooperate.”
