The Attorney-General, Gloria Akuffo says although her office is eager to prosecute former president of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), the evidence required to continue with the process is lacking.
She told the BBC the A-G’s Department has requested for the necessary documentation from the Tiger Eye P.I. firm led by the investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas to facilitate the prosecution of Mr Kwasi Nyantakyi, but is yet to receive same.
The Department can only make concrete moves when the required documents are provided and until that is done, there is not much that can be done, she indicated.
Her comments are in reaction to claims that government is dragging its feet and does not want to prosecute the former FA boss, Kwasi Nyantakyi.
Mr. Nyantakyi has been banned for life from all football-related activities and in addition, will pay 500,000 Swiss Francs (GHS 2,613,051.58) for breaching FIFA’s conflict of interest and other corruption rules.
The ban follows an undercover sting investigation by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas. That investigation was shown in a documentary titled #Number 12 and it uncovered bribery and corruption related activities by referees, and other football administrators.
The former GFA president was caught in the video peddling influence and bragging about his connections with powerful politicians in the country.
The documentary shocked the country. Anas later petitioned FIFA to take action against Mr Nyantakyi and also sent similar evidence to the Economic and Organised Crime Office in Ghana.
He also petitioned the Attorney General and other relevant bodies to investigate Mr Nyantakyi. However, close to a year after this, Ghanaians have complained about the A-G’s inaction on the case.
This prompted Anas to launch an online campaign – which has already received 3,808 signatures – to get the former GFA boss prosecuted. In a write-up to back his campaign, he expressed shock at the A-G’s failure to take up the matter as it should despite the circumstantial evidence that led FIFA to ban Mr Nyantakyi.
“Police have completed investigations into likely criminal misconduct by Mr. Nyantakyi. They submitted their findings to the Attorney General last year [2018]. The Attorney General has not taken any action on the case till date. Please help us ask the Attorney General to move this case forward. Mr. Nyantakyi should face criminal prosecution over some of his misconduct, which borders on criminality,” Anas stated.
Anas insists that Mr Nyantakyi must not be allowed to go scot-free and that “If Nyantakyi is not prosecuted, our collective fight against corruption will be meaningless. It will also send a signal to many citizens that the law only deals with the poor, but the rich and powerful cannot be held responsible for their actions.”
But the A-G says her office cannot be blamed for the slow pace of the case.
She said “we will see prosecution; we have made that decision. But we need to have the full evidence and that may impact on what we have in draft now. I am surprised that the impression is being given that somewhat, we are not eager to prosecute. That, in fact, is unfair to this office.
“Particularly because we have been dealing directly with Anas and he knows the effort we have been putting in and what we are calling for and the fact that we have indicated what we need to enable us move on, which he has not supplied to us yet,” Ms Akuffo added.
