Accra, July 12, GNA – Naval Captain Baafour Assassie-Gyimah, on Monday told the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) that he was forced to buy a Unibrik housing unit at Adenta to raise funds in support of providing shelter to an anti-coup military squad.
Witness, who is also former National Security Co-ordinator, named other officers then in the security apparatus who were also either allocated houses or plots in that offer and admitted that the offer was not advertised for the general public to bid.
The officers were one Kwasivi Dergbor, who was allocated one of the houses, Lt Col B. F. Kusi, Mr Peter Nanfuri, then boss of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), Mr Yaw Akrasi Sarpong, who were all allocated a house each, and Mr George Agyekum, then Tribunal Chairman, was allocated a plot of land.
Giving evidence at an NRC public hearing in Accra, Baafour Assasie-Gyimah said they were put under pressure to buy the houses because the area was least developed and interest in the houses was very low.
He said each of the beneficiaries paid 40 per cent of the price, but did not state the price.
Baafour Assasie-Gyimah’s evidence was in reaction to evidence by Dr Mathew Narh Tetteh, who had alleged the seizure of the Unibrik housing units at Dansoman and Adenta, both in Accra, during the erstwhile regime the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC).
Baafour Assasie-Gyimah denied the seizure of the Dansoman and Adenta units.
Dr Tetteh had stated that those houses, and Unibrik chemicals which had been abandoned, belonged to him as the owner of the Uniclean Limited and Unibrik Co-ordinating Committee, and the Unibrik Technology.
Baafour Assasie-Gyimah, who also identified himself as the Chairman of the Unibrik Co-ordinating Committee, said Dr Tetteh had no claim to the houses, because they were developed with a government loan secured from Germany under an agreement with the Department of Rural Housing and Cottage Industries.
He said Dr Tetteh had also refused to register and patent the Unibrik Technology with an amount of 50,000 pounds Government gave to him and prayed the Commission to help the Government of Ghana to retrieve that money.
Dr Tetteh had objected to Baafour Assassie-Gyimah cross-examining him because he did not know him and had not made any statements against him. The cross-examination, however, proceeded when Baafour Assasie-Gyimah responded that he was appearing as Chairman of the Unibrik Co-ordinating Committee.
Dr Tetteh alleged during the cross-examination that Baafour Assasie-Gyimah had at sometime ago been paid to assassinate him when attempts to hijack his Unibrik Technology failed.
Lawyer Bram Labi, appearing together with his client Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, MP for Ningo Prampram, said his client would not give evidence. Mr Mensah, former Mayor of Accra, was at the Commission to cross-examine Mr George Philip Okine, a former official of the Accra Metropolitan Authority.
Mr Okine had told the Commission that soldiers told him in 1987 that Mr Mensah ordered his arrest to the Castle guardroom where he was also shaved.
Mr Okine maintained that he suspected Mr Mensah was behind his arrest because the soldiers said so, and for the four days that he was not at post Mr Mensah, whom he said he had been on good relations with, never bothered to enquire about him.
Lawyer Labi denied any link of Mr Mensah with the arrest and alleged torture of Mr Okine.
He said Mr Okine had mentioned Mr Mensah out of spite and that Mr Mensah owed him no apology.
Another Witness, Madam Akua Bonsu, from Antoa Krobo appeared with her two grown up children, Addai Bonsu and Akwasi Appiah.
She said in 1982, one Nana Boakye, an uncle, now deceased, who belonged to their Aduana Clan seized a piece of land on which they grew food stuff, and gave it out to be used as government land.
At one time when they went to the farm the late Nana Boakye led a group of some men of the Civil Defence Organisation to arrests them to the Antoa Zongo Police Station and gave them 30 lashes each.
Witness stated that the piece of land had now been developed into a plantation, and in the hands of the Town Development Committee. Meanwhile, the Commission would hold its last hearing for the 18-month period tomorrow, Tuesday July 13, 2004.
Source: GhanaWeb
