Akufo-Addo got it all wrong : Omane Boamah
The government says it did not violate the Anti-Terrorism Act (Act 762) by accepting to host the two former Guantanamo Bay detainees in Ghana as alleged by the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
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A statement signed and issued by the Communications Minister, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, said the claims were a “complete misinterpretation” of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the government wishes to place on record that at all times it has acted strictly within the law. Any claims, therefore, by Nana Akufo-Addo and his assigns to the contrary are false and a complete misinterpretation of the Anti-Terrorism Act (Act 762),” the statement added.
Section 35(1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2008 (Act 762) states that “The Director of Immigration or an officer authorised by the Director shall not grant an endorsement or authority to permit a person to enter this country if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that
No Proof
The statement said the government had noted that Mr Akufo-Addo did not provide any proof of the “reasonable grounds” on which he claimed the two ex-detainees should have been denied entry into Ghana.
It said it appeared that Nana Akufo-Addo had merely channelled claims in sections of the media that an alleged leaked 2007 report classified the two detainees as “terrorists”.
The statement drew attention to a 2010 report of an Executive Order Task Force (EOTF) prepared on the basis of a unanimous agreement of six US government agencies which repudiates claims made in earlier reports.
“We wish to stress that the EOTF’s 2010 interagency assessment supersedes any prior assessment and reflects the US government’s most comprehensive and authoritative view of each Guantanamo detainee and does not classify the two individuals as “terrorists,” it said.
No charges
According to the statement, it was factual that no formal process had been used to bring charges of terrorism against the two individuals; neither had they been found guilty of any terrorism offences by any court of competent jurisdiction.
It said the government was at a loss that Nana Akufo-Addo, about whom lofty claims had been made regarding the defence of human rights, would today seek to set aside due process and pronounce guilt on persons who had been unjustifiably held for 14 years without charge.
“Government wishes to seize this opportunity to reiterate its earlier assurance that adequate measures have been taken to ensure the peace and security of Ghanaians even as the two individuals remain in Ghana for two years,” the statement added.
Background
The flag bearer of the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo, is reported to have accused President Mahama of violating Ghana’s Anti-terrorism Act by accepting to accommodate the two Guantanamo Bay detainees.
Delivering a tribute in honour of the late Alhaji Alhassan Bin Salih in Wa last Tuesday, Nana Akufo-Addo quoted Section 35 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2008, (Act 762), which prohibits Ghana from negotiating with the United States government or any other government on deals such as the concerning the ex-detainees..
The two detainees, Khalid Mohammed Salih al-Dhuby and Mahmud Omar Mohammed Bin Atef, were transferred to Ghana on January 6, 2016, following the US government’s decision to close down the Guantanamo Bay.
The government’s decision to accept the two detainees raised a lot of mixed feelings in sections of the public.
President Mahama, on several platforms and occasions, has categorically debunked all claims by sections of the public that the government’s decision to accept the two former Guantanamo Bay detainees into the country was informed by monetary considerations and poses serious security threats to Ghana.
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