Incensed by claims of corruption at the Ghana Football Association (GFA), the President of the Association, Kwesi Nyantakyi has directed anyone who doubts the credibility of its accounts to make a request to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee for the reports in order to verify their claims.
The pressure on the GFA has intensified in recent days following corruption allegations at football’s world governing body FIFA with seven officials arrested.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter also announced his decision to step down despite being re-elected days earlier.
Several people, including businessman and sports administrator, Herbert Mensah have asked that a cue be taken from the recent investigations into the activities of the FIFA officials.
“This is a momentous occasion and it’s a time for us to start revisiting the extent to which we can hold accountable our own FA’s and the people who run our FA’s …maybe this is the time,†Herbert Mensah opined.
However, Nyantakyi argued that the accounts of the GFA were made public knowledge once they had been audited by the Accountant General. He advised Mensah to go to Parliament to peruse the reports if he has any doubts about the GFA’s finances.
“If he [Herbert Mensah] wants to know [about the GFA’s accounts] he should go to Parliament. Those reports are sent to Parliament. When the Auditor General audits or accounts, they send copies to the Public Accounts Committee and when you send information to Parliament, it constitutes notice to all Ghana. So if any Ghanaian is in doubt, you can go there. Our accounts are audited by the Auditor General.â€
‘Baseless’ claims of corruption
According to Nyantakyi, the calls for an investigation into the money allocated to the GFA by FIFA were baseless and the result of a personal vendetta.
“There is nothing frightening or scary about an investigation. But every call for an investigation must have two things; there must be a factual basis and there must be a legal basis. The fact that you don’t like somebody or the fact that you in your own mind think that there is something wrong with an organization does not constitute the basis for an investigation. Have they provided any justification for the call? I don’t think there is any basis for that.†-
Koku, learn your lessons
Kwesi Nyanyakyi also criticized the Deputy General Secretary of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho, who has been particularly vocal on the matter.
According to the GFA President, similar calls were made by Anyidoho in 2010, leading to a raid on the GFA offices by EOCO which was eventually ruled unlawful, and should not be taken seriously.
“It was the same calls that were made in 2010 that led to the Economic and Organised Crime Office invading the offices of the GFA. When the matter was put to the test of law, it failed. There was no legal basis for it.
“The people, like Koku Anyidoho are who are calling for an investigation are the same ones who made the call in 2010. And I am surprised that he hasn’t learnt any lessons from that and he is making the same calls at this time. Unfortunately there is no basis for it. We live in a country governed by rules and regulations,†he added.
Credit: Citifmonline