Pro-NPP rapper A-Plus known as Kwame Asare Obeng is under pressure from the police to provide evidence for allegations he made against two Deputy Chiefs of Staff.
Since A-Plus made the allegation on Facebook four days ago, he has been unable to supply evidence as police CID step into the matter, Myjoyonline.com has gathered.
The rapper who got presidential mention in Akufo-Addo’s victory speech has directed the police to speak to his lawyers, a development a private legal practitioner has described as unfortunate.
Samson Lardy Ayenini said it is wrong for an accuser to refer the police to his lawyers for evidence after he has made some allegations.
“When you are invited by the police, you don’t say contact my lawyer. Your lawyer is not the one being invited”, he explained on Joy News Newsnite Thursday.
He explained the allegations are civil matters between politicians bothering on defamation and has no criminal element in it to merit police investigations.
Two deputy Chief of Staff and Communications Minister Ursula Owusu-Ekuful are the first officials under the Akufo-Addo government to be investigated over corruption allegations.
Assin North MP, Kennedy Agyapong has accused Ursula Owusu-Ekuful of collecting some monies from foreign investors.
A-Plus has also accused the two deputies at the Office of the Chief of Staff – Abu Jinapor and Francis Asenseo-Boakye and Abu Jinapor of demanding money before setting up meetings between the President and business leaders.
The lawmaker has reportedly provided his evidence to the police Criminal Investigation Department that is investigating the claims, but A-Plus’ evidence remains to be provided.
There is huge interest within the governing NPP for a closure on the allegations typified by a directive from the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, for investigations.
The directive also makes good the NPP leader’s vow to investigate every corruption allegation if elected in the 2016 December presidential polls.
But Political Science Lecturer, Professor Ransford Gyampo and Private legal practitioner Samson Lardy Ayenini both agree the president’s promise is not sustainable.
The political science lecturer admitted the police “chase some wind” if they have to investigate every corruption allegations.
Samson Lardy went a step further to indicate, this promise is unnecessary because as a consummate lawyer of great standing the president knows it is not every allegation that has to be investigated.
“I don’t know what the President was thinking when he said that every allegation will be investigated [because] some allegations are so useless that you don’t waste your time on them,” he said.
For Professor Ransford Gyampo, the actions of A-Plus formed a basis for a new suggestion he believes can help the government’s anti-corruption fight.
He recommended that the police should not be limited to investigating only criminal allegations. He wants the police to be empowered to step in civil cases in which a person makes corruption allegations against another.
If the allegations are found to be unsubstantiated, sanctions should be imposed the purveyors “for wasting the time of the police”.
“If you do so then we will ensure that we don’t have people making frivolous allegations,” he told Joy News’ Evans Mensah.
He said civil cases are “usually protracted” and changes must be made in law to allow the police to step into corruption allegations without an invitation from the accuser or the accused.
The political scientist said unless the allegation is causing fear and panic, the police have no business investigating the claims.
He said the police would be rather wasting their own time if they chase after A-Plus for evidence when the accused has not made a complaint to the police.