Political Thuggery: Publish Short Report – Minority

General News on Thursday, May 30, 2019

Source: clbadfmonline.com

2019-05-30

The minority in Parliament asked President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to make public the report of the Emile Short Commission on electoral violence during the partial election of Ayawaso West Wougon.

The Commission handed over the report to Nana Akufo-Addo on Thursday, March 14, 2019 at Jubilee House following an investigation into the riots perpetrated on January 31, 2019 during the by-election. Ayawaso West Wuogon held after the death of the parliament member of this constituency, Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko.

Before the debate on the draft law on vigilance and related offenses, which had been launched at the request of Mr. Akufo-Addo to attack the operations of the party militia, Mr. James Agalga, a senior member Parliament's Committee on Defense and the Interior, called for the publication of the report.

Although he stated that the minority was willing to participate in the debate, Mr. Agalga was quick to add that the minority's course of action would be determined by the failure of the president to make the report public.

"If he fails to publish the contents of the report, the decision to participate in the deliberations of the bill will be taken at the level of leadership and, for the moment, we will not disclose what strategies are our sleeves," Mr Agalga told reporters in the European Parliament on Wednesday 29 May 2019.

He said: "When the time comes, we will advise ourselves appropriately".

Among other things, the confidential report recommended the dissolution of the SWAT national security team that had stormed the scene of the elections and fired shots into the crowd.

The committee also recommended the prosecution of a national security officer, Mr. Ernest Akomea, also known as "Double", who allegedly used a weapon without authorization during the operation of the SWAT team at the home of the parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress. Mr. Delali Brempong.

The report also advised the authorities to remove the commander of the SWAT team from the Secretariat of the National Security Council, the DSP Samuel Kojo Azugu "from the command responsibility".

According to the report, DSP Azugu failed to "properly command and control the SWAT team he was responsible for during the operation at the La Bawaleshie School polling station. it is rebadigned by the IGP. "