...Tsatsu, Rawlings on stand-by

THE GYE NYAME Concord can reveal that Ghana?s longest serving national security capo, Captain (rtd) Kojo Tsikata, will this morning arrive at the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) to confront former PNDC Attorney General, Justice G. E. K. Aikins over certain allegations by the former AG.

Ex-President Jerry John Rawlings and Mr Tsatsu Tsikata, former GNPC Chief Executive and cousin to Kojo Tsikata, will however be absent from the sitting.

Both men are expected to later request a recall of Aikins for their own cross-examination of him on their return from various trips abroad. The two travelled out of the country over the weekend.

Information available to this paper suggest that Justice Aikins in a statement to the NRC alleged that he was present at a meeting with Rawlings, Tsatsu and Kojo Tsikata when the late Amartei Kwei informed them of the execution of the three murdered judges and the retired Army Officer, Major Sam Acquah.

Sources say Aikins also alleged that Rawlings held his hands to his head in despair when the late Amartei Kwei confessed to the murders at that meeting.

Justice Aikins, who was the AG at the time of the murders and who freed Kojo Tsikata from prosecution over apparent lack of evidence is reported to have also stated that Tsikata was opposed to the establishment of the Special Investigations Board that probed the murders.

But Kojo Tsikata is expected to contest that assertion when he appears before the NRC this morning.

Aikins statement was taken following evidence by Mr Kwabena Ageypong, Press Secretary to President J. A. Kufuor that Aikins once told him that if he were to spill the beans on the judges? murder, all hell would break lose.

Credible sources say Tsikata is also expected to confront Aikins on a number of other issues relating to his decision to use him as a prosecution witness as a against prosecuting him.

Tsikata has denied any involvement in the murder of the judges.

He maintains that he neither participated ?in any manner whatsoever, in these crimes? and that he had lived for more than 20 years ?with the pain of being falsely accused by the Special Investigation Board (SIB) of being the mastermind of the hideous crimes committed by Amartey Kwei and others on the night of 30th June 1982.?

He has also requested a contest between him and members of the SIB over his alleged involvement in the murder of the Judges and a retired army officer in 1982.

According to him, the SIB, chaired by Mr. Justice Azu Crabbe, turned the SIB probe into a political conspiracy against him. He cited in particular Mr Justice Azu Crabbe, Mr T.O. Lindsay, the Right Reverend Professor N. K. Dzobo, Mr J.O. Amui, Brigadier J Nunoo Mensah and Mr Johnny Hansen.

The NRC last Friday in a statement signed by its Head of Public Relations, Mr Mohammed Affum, indicated that it had not invited Rawlings to appear before it this week.

The statement said at the close of work by Friday, the Commission received a letter from the Office of the former President, signed by Mr Victor Smith, Special Assistant to the President, requesting for the statement by Aikins to enable the former President cooperate with the Commission it its work.