My husband paid $100,000 to stop #12 release - Mrs Nyantakyi

The first wife of the embattled former Ghana Football Association (GFA) boss, Kwesi Nyantakyi has disclosed that her husband made a desperate move to stop the screening of an investigative documentary that implicated him in a bribery scandal.

It will be recalled that, in the lead up to the premiere of Number12 an investigative documentary which has resulted in his lifetime ban from football, reports emerged that Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his Tiger Eye PI team were rejected a $100,000 bribe to stop its screening.

Tiger Eye PI subsequently denied being involved in a plot to blackmail Mr Nyantakyi.

However, Mrs Christine-Marie Nyantakyi has now shed light on how her husband parted with $100,000 in a bid to stop the screening of the video.

Related Articles

How government assisted FIFA's lifetime ban of Nyantakyi

GFA to pay Nyantakyi's GHS 2.4million FIFA fine if he defaults

I will appeal FIFA life ban - Kwesi Nyantakyi

FIFA bans Kwesi Nyantakyi for life

Kwesi Nyantakyi sues Anas again

Speaking in an interview on Good Evening Ghana on Tuesday, October 6, 2018, Mrs Nyantakyi said they were desperate after seeing pieces of the video and were approached by some persons who said they could stop the screening for an amount of $150,000.

According to her, her husband only shelled-out $100,000 for the purpose, but the amount was paid back to them in tranches after the screening of the video on June 6.

She said: “Well, there’s information, and there’s truth in that information. Apparently, we became so desperate when we realized that all that they presented to us were false, so we tried to make some interventions, and they proposed that he pays some money. They proposed $150,000; my husband couldn’t afford it, so he gave out $100,000 dollars, and they came back to him and said the person says you need to add $50,000, and he said well, I don’t have it; that’s all that I have.”

“They brought $40,000 first; and then later on, they brought $60,000 dollars. I have not gathered the courage to watch the full video, because the small that I watched, I knew that the way he is talking; that is not my husband; something might have gone wrong.”

Watch the entire interview below;

Background

FIFA's adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has banned former President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwasi Nyantakyi for life from all football-related activities with immediate effect.

The adjudicatory chamber found Mr Nyantakyi guilty of having violated Article 19 (conflict of interest), Article 21 (Bribery and corruption) and Article 22 (Commission) of the FIFA Code of Ethics, 2012 edition.

Mr Nyantakyi has additionally been fined 500,000 Swiss Francs (over GH₡2.4million).

According to a FIFA statement, Mr Nyantakyi was notified today [Tuesday, October 30] about the ban.

The adjudicatory chamber carried out a formal investigation into Nyantakyi after he was filmed apparently accepting a "cash gift" in an undercover documentary titled Number12.

He was initially suspended on June 8 (two days after the premiere of Number12) for 90 days by the Committee.

On September 5, FIFA extended that ban by an additional 45 days.

He was filmed in the undercover investigation by controversial Ghanaian journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas taking $65,000 (£48,000) from an undercover reporter pretending to be a businessman.

Soon after the ban on June 8, Nyantakyi resigned from the posts he had held with football's world governing body, Fifa, and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

He left his role on the Fifa Council and stepped aside from his roles with Caf including as 1st vice-president, the most senior figure at the confederation after its president, Ahmad.

As well as the Fifa suspension Nyantakyi also resigned as president of the GFA on June 8 following an executive committee meeting.

Nyantakyi has announced his intention to appeal the decision.