..... but PNC accepts her

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) says it has no links whatsoever with Hajia Amina B. Abubakar Sadiq, the woman behind the $1.5 scam at the Bank of Ghana last year.

Hajia Sadiq, who is best known as Hajia Baby Ocansey, was arrested after being in hiding for several months. After she was arrested, she alleged that she took the action in order to flee from NDC functionaries who wanted to kill her because she had estranged herself from the Party. She also alleged that she conducted various business transactions on behalf of the NDC and its officials.

The Chairman of the NDC Media Committee, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, denied the allegations saying it is ridiculous that a card bearing member of the People’s National Convention (PNC) can turn around to run errands for the NDC at a time when her Party was in electoral alliance with the National Patriotic Party (NPP) with the common objective to throw the NDC out of power.

He noted that neither the NDC nor its officials have ever authorized Hajia Ocansey to transact any business of any sort on their behalf, as shewould desperately want her interrogators and the public to believe.

Spio-Garbrah, also former Minister for Education added that Hajia’s allegations about her links with the former First Family are a figment of her own imagination and that the Party would caution any individual of groups of persons who may want to bring the name of the former president and the Party into disrepute.

In an interview with NCS Journalists, the Leader of the People’s National Convention, Dr. Edward Mahama, said Hajia Baby Ocansey, until her involvement in the Bank of Ghana case, was the National Women’s Organizer of the Party.

He added that in the run-up to the s 2000 elections, the party had to appoint an acting Women’s Organizer since the whereabouts of Hajia was not known.

He however added that since the police are still investigating the case and since " the laws of Ghana state that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent court of law, the PNC will have no further comments to make on the issue."

According to Deputy National Treasurer of the PNC, Mr. Ahmed Ramadan, until Hajia is proven guilty by the law when "she will then be barred from engaging in active politics, Hajia is still a member of the Party." he added that the party has no intentions of denying her on the basis of the fact that she is in trouble.

The long hunt for Hajia Baby Ocansey which began in June 2000 in connection with her alleged key role in the $1.5 million scandal that rocked the Central bank ended last Thursday, April 5, when she was arrested by the personnel of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

NCS's latest information has it that some members of Hajia's family and other close associates have been arrested and detained at the BNI.