President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has asked the police to investigate Mr Kwesi Nyantakyi, President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for a potential crime of defrauding by false pretence.
A Deputy Chief of Staff, Samuel Abu Jinapor, confirmed this to correspondents at the Jubilee House, the seat of the Government.
This came after viewing aspects of the yet to be aired video by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
Mr. Jinapor said the President was unhappy that Mr. Nyantakyi had used his name fraudulently in the expose.
The GFA boss was seen in the video footage using the President’s name, that of the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and other senior government officials, to illegally take various sums of money from investors.
Mr Jinapor said the President, after consultations and having satisfied himself that there was a basis for establishing and launching investigation into the conduct of the GFA president, directed the CID to investigate the matter.
All his accomplices should also be investigated.
The CID had commenced investigations, and the Deputy Chief of Staff said President was committed to fighting corruption, influence peddling and bribery.
He was eager to make sure that there was discipline, honesty, and integrity in public life.
He entreated the public to allow the CID to do its work – get to the bottom of the matter.
“The President is determined to ensure that anyone found culpable in the investigations would be made to face the full rigours of the law,” he added.
Mr Anas’ latest expose seeks to put spotlight on the rots and corruption in Ghana’s football administration. It would be aired June 6, 2018.
Nyantakyi became the President of the GFA in December 2005 after defeating two other candidates, Ade Coker and Kojo Bonsu.
He is regarded as the most successful GFA boss since the days of Ohene Djan and H.P Nyemitei.
Under his presidency, Ghana qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the first for the country.
Ghana again qualified for the subsequent 2010 FIFA World Cup, in South Africa, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
The Ghana U-20 football team also won Africa’s first and only U-20 World Cup also during his stewardship in 2009.
On the downside, he and other officials had been accused of match-fixing by an undercover investigation led by The Telegraph and Channel 4.
Nyantakyi denied agreeing match fixing allegations by saying that “the report of the newspaper or the media house is entirely not accurate,” because “there is really no cause for alarm as far as I am concerned because nothing untoward has happened involving me or the Federation.”
Source: GNA
