Commission dribbles journalists

Anxious journalists and observers who turned up to witness the second coming of the former Youth and Sports Minister, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, and others at the Justice Dzamefe Commission’s sitting yesterday were dribbled after the highly-anticipated public sitting eventually turned into an in-camera session.

While news-hungry journalists waited in vain at the Media Centre of the Accra Stadium, Justice Senyo Dzamefe and his three colleagues engaged one witness after another in some brief camera sessions in the company of their solicitors.

Though details of the engagement were not readily available, Daily Graphic investigations revealed that the various witnesses were invited in connection with the list of beneficiaries of the ‘co-efficient’ money which the President of the Ghana Football Association, Mr Kwesi Nyantakyi, submitted to the commission upon request.

Mr Nyantakyi hinted during his evidence before the commission a few weeks ago that the beneficiaries of the $577,500 appearance fee went beyond the Sports Ministry, prompting the Chairman of the commission, Justice Dzamefe, to request for a full list of persons who received the money.

Further investigations revealed that the commission’s main agenda during yesterday’s session was to cross-check whether the amount of money they received tallied with the one on the list.

However, Mr Ankrah, who opened the proceedings, is suspected to have been grilled more than the rest as his testimony lasted longer. 

He was followed by the Stars Management Committee members such as Yaw Boateng Gyan and Felix Ansong; GFA member George Afriyie, and the acting GFA scribe, Emmanuel Gyimah.

After them followed the re-appearance of the ministry’s Chief Director, Abudulai Yakubu, and Chief Accountant, Prosper Apasu, before the Stars’ trio of Stephen Adams, Fatau Dauda and Rashid Sumaila took turns to complete the day’s agenda.

Another Stars Management Committee member, Kwame Ofosu-Bamfo (Sikkens) and the FA’s Director of Communications, Ibrahim Saanie Daara, will be engaged at a later date.

From today, the commission will start reviewing its work towards writing its report to meet the November 14 deadline.