General News of Wednesday, 21 February 2007

Source: Ghanaian Voice

We would have jailed many NDC ministers - Jumah

The Member of Parliament for Asokwa, Maxwell Kofi Jumah, has said that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government would have jailed many of the ministers under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) regime if they had taken serious consideration of reports made to it by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).

He said the reports currently before the government contained a lot of fraud that took place during the P/NDC regime but added “We believe due process of the law must be followed.”

Speaking at a press conference organised by the majority in Parliament to react to issues raised by the minority NDC MPs in their “True State of the Nation’s Address”, held in Accra last week, Mr Jumah said the government was still studying some of the SFO reports.

The Member of Parliament also took a swipe at the former Vice President and flagbearer of the NDC, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, saying that he is a novice in the law profession.

He referred to an assertion by Prof. Mills that “we investigate to arrive at evidence” which he described as absolutely wrong.

“You cannot go to a police station and report that this person or that person has done this so he or she needs to be arrested,” he stated, adding that the police will have to get evidence first.

He said Prof. Mills’ stand on the issue smacked of gross hypocrisy.

Majority Chief Whip, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, made a presentation at the press conference in which he described the Minority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin and the behaviour of the NDC as unacceptable.

He called for the strengthening of the SFO, CHRAJ and the Office of Accountability to prevent any further loss to the nation.