Brazil 2014 Inquiry: We only want the truth — Justice Dzamefe
The Chairman of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Black Stars’ Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign, Justice Senyo Dzamefe, has emphasised that the Commission’s mandate is to ascertain the truth of what really transpired in Brazil and not to witch-hunt any individual or organisation.
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He said with Ghana being the hope of Africa, considering its two previous impressive World Cup performances, the whole world was disappointed by the Stars’ poor outing in Brazil, hence the probe to find out the truth and forestall a future recurrence.
“Ghana is the football hope of Africa so the whole world was disappointed by the team’s poor performance in Brazil.
No witch-hunting
“The Commission wasn’t set up by the President to witch-hunt anybody but we want to re-emphasise that we just want to know the truth about why the Black Stars performed abysmally in Brazil and the cause of the chaos,” the calm-looking Appeals Court Judge disclosed to the Daily Graphic in an exclusive interview.
He, therefore, admonished individuals and organisations who played any role in the campaign to arm themselves with detailed reports of their involvement ahead of its first public sittings on Monday.
The chairman of the Commission also advised key witnesses to consider the authority upon which they played their roles with detailed description of such functions and receipts covering the various activities.
Potential witnesses
Justice Dzamefe mentioned some of the individuals and corporate bodies who will likely be invited to testify before the three-man Commission as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bank of Ghana, Ghana Football Association (GFA), Black Stars Technical Committee, the Stars playing body, all corporate sponsors of the Black Stars (details of sponsorship packages will be treated with utmost confidence), all service providers to the team, government officials, supporters, travel and tour operators, transport companies, catering companies and supporters unions which accompanied the Stars to Brazil.
Others are ambassadors and artistes and anybody who travelled on the government ticket, as well as individuals, organisations and mediamen who have any information, recommendations or suggestions for the Commission.
He requested such memos to be submitted to the office of the chief director of the Ministry of Youth and Sports until the Commission’s secretariat was ready.
“We will communicate the exact dates and time for the various witnesses in due course,” he said.
Justice Dzamefe gave the assurance that the Commission, whose other members are Moses Foh-Amoaning and Kofi Anokye Owusu Darko, would do its best to finish work within the shortest possible time.
He stated that the Commission would go strictly by its terms of reference and under Articles 278, 279 and 280 of the 1992 Constitution which, among others, entitles it to operate by the powers of a High Court and could, therefore, cite people for contempt.
He cautioned journalists and radio panelists to know the parametres within which they would operate so far as the Commission and its sittings were concerned.
He stressed that all the Commission’s sittings would be public at the Media Centre of the Accra Stadium from 10a.m. on week days, unless there is the need to hear some evidence in camera.
In a related development, the Commision held a media interaction and capacity-building seminar for interested journalists on the remit of its work at the Media Centre of the Accra Stadium yesterday.