Opinions of Saturday, 25 February 2012

Columnist: Yorke, Ekow

Is Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom (Paul Yorke) a Criminal

and above the laws of the Land?*

* *

On a recent interview on Asempa FM’s ‘Ekosi Sen’ in Accra last month by Dr. Tony Aidoo (http://theheraldghana.com/?p=11090) Head of Policy Evaluation at the Castle, the seat of government and Former Deputy Minister for Defence identified the leader and founder of the yet to be registered political party the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom (formally known as Paul Yorke) as an agent of the United States of America (USA), even though he (Nduom) had claimed to be a loyal citizen of the Republic of Ghana.

According to Dr.Aidoo, in 1995 when Dr. Nduom who was then working with the Public Enterprises Commission (PEC), the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) now Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) embarked on an investigation of the activities of the Commission over corruption and evasion of tax charges of Dr Nduom, wrote to the United States (US) embassy in Accra claiming to be a US citizen and that the government of Ghana under the leadership of then President Jerry John Rawlings is out to harass and persecute him (Nduom) because he is a US citizen.

Dr. Aidoo explained that Dr.Ndoum wrote a letter to the embassy, calling on the then US ambassador to intervene because he (Nduom) is a US citizen and immediately was provided a 24/7 personal security by USA Marines from the embassy.

The American ambassador in Ghana also wrote an obnoxious article published in the newspapers, claiming that they have the right to the diplomatic protection of Ndoum, somebody who is actually a Ghanaian born and has been living on the largess of the Government of Ghana, a sovereign entity, Dr. Aidoo said.

He noted that the US ambassador in the said publications claimed that the then SFO was an inferior authority that should not be allowed to torment and investigate US citizens living in Ghana.

Dr. Aidoo’s assertion in the said interview with the radio station goes to buttress the claims by some stalwarts in the Minority Convention People’s Party (CPP), the party Dr. Nduom led in the 2008 general elections that he was once called Paul Yorke, then a full blooded US citizen; it is however not clear whether Dr.Nduom has renounced his US citizenship before assuming the position of a cabinet minister in the immediate past Kufuor administration, and his subsequent attempt to assume the high office of the land.

It could also be recalled that in the recently- leaked US diplomatic cables in the international whistle blower web site dubbed Wikileaks on Ghana, Dr. Nduom was identified as one of the US agents in the President John Agyekum Kufuor’s government, and as well as one of the government officials who fought for the interest of the US government in Ghana.

As much as Dr Nduom claim to be championing a Ghana for Ghanaians policy, in reality all he encouraged and protected American interest while in Government as a Minister of State by voting for American Citizens to be sent home from Ghana if they commit criminal offences in Ghana.

Nduom signed off Ghana’s oil to Kosmos a USA firm for peanuts in record time as one of the worse Oil agreements ever signed in the world.

Nduom, the man who now claims to solve Ghana’s unemployment issues and the job creator ‘if’ voted as the President of Ghana after buying for himself a flag bearer position by setting up his own party this December elections was the one who cheaply disposed of most of Ghana’s industrial base started by the CPP in the first republic. Some of these state owned companies have now ended up in his group of companies.

Nduom still carry his American citizenship of Paul Yorke when abroad and comes to Ghana as Papa Kwesi Nduom. We would therefore like to appeal to the Government of Ghana under Prof John Evans Atta Mills to immediately reconstitute the EOCO to look into the SFO report ( http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/artikel.php?ID=153827)on Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom aka Paul Yorke on his dual nationality status, for causing financial loss to the State, of Ghana and fraud as a foreign citizen now turned a Ghanaian as no one is above the law.

Spokes Person Ekow Yorke Say No 2 Papa Kwesi Nduom (Concerned Youth of Ghana)