General News of Tuesday, 17 October 2006

Source: The Sun

Ken Agyepong Rubbishes Rawlings Subpoena

The Member of Parliament for Assin North Mr. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong has rubbished a subpoena against the ex-president J.J Rawlings and called on Ghanaians to resist any attempt to whisk the former president for trails outside the shores of Ghana.

"It is wrong to subpoena Rawlings, the Ex-President of this country for trial in any part of the world. I am against such useless and reckless execirse even if anybody has any thing genuine against him (Ex-President Rawlings) are there not competent laws and courts in our land, Ghana to deal with the issues?, he asked.

Reacting to a publication a Chicago Iilinios district court has issued, an order of subpoena to the ex-president Rawlings to appear before it to explain 1979 excutions , the outspoken Assin North MP rubbished the move saying it would be a disgrace for a former president of a soveriegn state like Ghana to face trial outside the country.

Ken Agyapong who described such an attempt as bogus called on all Ghanaians to kick against such dangerious move.

"If there is nothing at all Rawlings is our ex- President and for us to stay aloof for him to be disgraced outside Ghana, means a disgrace to our soverignty as a nation," he told Fifi Boafo a host of Adom FM morning show at Tema.

According to Ohene Agyapong if he is allowed to face trial in USA no Ghanaian politician can guarantee his future becuase today is the turn of the Ex-President so no big deal, tomorrow it would be the turn of Kufour or sombody else.

"It would be a bad preceedence for anybody to drag Rawlings to foreign land for trails. I would never support such a thing," he said.

He however appealed to Rawlings to take a second look at his pronnoucements since certain aultrance was also uncalled for.

"I mean what at all would one gain if Rawlins is trailed in USA ", he asked. "We must not allow what happened to Pinochet, General Noreyenga and others who were extradicted and trailed outside their country to occured in Ghana".he said.

According to Reports Madam Victoria Acheampong, the duagther of General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong had filed a writ in Chicago Iilinois Cook County court against Ex-President Rawlings over the excution of her father in 1979 coup However latest information from camp of the former president indicated that the subpoena was a hoax