The Editor in Chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has dismissed President Mills’ decision to reopen investigations into the MV Benjamin cocaine case.
President Mills during his state of the Nation Address on Thursday February 17, stated that he had ordered investigations to be reopened in the MV Benjamin cocaine saga in which over 70 parcels of cocaine disappeared into thin air.
The President also wants fresh probes to be launched into the serial killing of women that rocked the country over a decade ago. On the cocaine issue, President Mills said there was the need to get to the root of the matter since the parcels of cocaine were not found or the accomplices jailed. President Mills added that the reopening of the cocaine case was in line with his commitment to continue to make Ghana an unattractive destination for the narcotic trade.
Alhaji Issa Abbas, who was formerly convicted and later acquitted and discharged in the controversial MV Benjamin cocaine saga on Friday told Citi FM that he welcomes President Mills’ directive that the case be re-opened. Alhaji Issa said fresh investigations will completely clear his name of all allegations.
Many opposition members have condemned President Mills’ decision to reopen investigations into the cocaine case and the serial killing of women describing it as a waste of time. The latest to condemn the directive by President Mills is an ardent critic of the ruling NDC government Kweku Baako who has described the directive as an “exercise in futility”.
Speaking on Joy FM’s News File on Saturday February 19, Kweku Baako stated that President Mills has got it all wrong by reopening investigations into the cocaine cases and the serial killings of women which he added would amount to nothing. According to him, President Mills should have been informed that some nine persons were arrested prosecuted and jailed which was made available by the Georgina Woode committee report.
“It would be an exercise in futility because straight away the President didn’t know that some culprits have been arrested, tried and prosecuted, it tells you there is a deficit. I don’t mind that the matter would be reopened because there are certain twists that would come up anyway”.
Meanwhile, the deputy Minister of Finance, Fiifi Kwetey rejected Kweku Baako’s submissions that the reopening of the cocaine cases would be an exercise in futility.
According to Fiifi Kwetey, the reopening of investigations into the case would help set the records straight and cause the arrest of some culprits who were behind the drug trade but have never been apprehended. The deputy minister noted that the President’s directive is in line with his commitment to make Ghana unfriendly to drug barons.