The Herald, has obtained records detailing how the Accra-based lawyer and social commentator, Martin Kpebu, was pressured to retract and apologise for saying that the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, is part of a criminal gang at the presidency.
The pressure on him which started with the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has led the talks about free speech, culture of silence, as well as the commitment to the fight against corruption.
Mr Kpebu, speaking on Joy News’ Newsfile programme on Saturday, July 23, 2022, accused President Akufo-Addo of being an ‘abysmal failure’ as far as the fight against corruption is concerned, insisting that the president was a member of a criminal syndicate at the Jubilee House.
“Akufo-Addo is part of the criminal syndicate at the Jubilee House. The president is definitely part. This corruption cannot happen without his involvement,” he said, reminiscent of ex-Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu’s description of the President as “the Mother serpent of corruption” in Ghana.
But the next day, the legal practitioner was at pains on his old school platform, Saint Charles Minor Seminary in Tamale, telling his mates about the pressure that has been brought to bear on him to retract and apologise to the President.
He had written “Seniors, the system has succeeded in pushing me to retract ooh. They are using the age factor and the unnecessary wahala, I will suffer etc”, adding “How will we develop if we can’t speak freely?
Mr Kpebu announced on the platform… “So will officially withdraw the phrase soon. Thanks for the support. At least it shook them a bit, so hopefully they will sit up”, he recognized how unhappy people would be with him for withdrawing that, but added “he who fights and runs lives to fight another day”.
The legal practitioner, had explained “..I hear some older people are not happy. You know our cultural thing about appeasing older people, so I will soon withdraw the phrase”.
Referring specifically to President Akufo-Addo, Mr Kpebu wrote “I’m sure it hit him well and he might now act. So it’s not a problem for me at all”.
Shortly after that conversation with his peers, Mr Kpebu wrote; “Yesterday, I was a guest on Newsfile where issues, including the nation-wrecking canker of corruption was discussed.
“This was on the back of yet another frightening survey by the collaboration of two state institutions – CHRAJ and GSS revealing the endemic level of actual corruption in Ghana today. In the heat of the discussion, I passionately expressed my disgust at the inaction of the presidency in dealing with certain matters bothering on corruption.
“I do, hereby, retract and apologise for the expression purporting to connect the President of the Republic to crime.
But ahead of the apology which many have described as empty, the management of the Multimedia, obviously bowed to pressure from the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, and issued a “Disclaimer” entitled “Martin Kpebu’s comment”.
It read “Management, together with host of Newsfile, has reviewed Saturday, the 23rd July, 2022 edition which discussed the UNODC funded CHRAJ/GSS survey report on actual corruption by public officials.
The disclaimer signed by Fiifi Koomson, Senior News Editor said that “the sincere view is that the expression suggesting direct involvement of the President in crime relative to some scandals was regrettable”.
“Samson Lardy Anyenini is upfront that, on this occasion, he could have done more than stopping at asking Mr. Martin Kpebu (a panelist) if he thought the comment was “warranted”, “justified” or “fair” for reasons he canvassed including that the President is not the police to prosecute those indicted in the NDA contract-price forgery scandal and anti-corruption laws and policies made under his regime, adding “accordingly, we issue this disclaimer.
However, ahead of the two statements Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and a relative of President Akufo-Addo, had via a Facebook post questioned the basis on which Lawyer Kpebu, had referred to the President as a member of a criminal syndicate at the presidency.
He averred that, despite the tirade, which he described as ‘an outré slur and barb against Akufo-Addo,’ some media houses will continue to platform Kpebu as “objective” pundit, analyst, commentator.
The retraction and apology, has since drawn response from the members of the public, some of whom have pulled out an alleged post by the NPP Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West constituency, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, a close confidant of the current President.
She had tweeted on 19th February 2013 about then President John Mahama, calling him a thief in reference to the NPP position on 2012 Presidential elections. “JM, Julor Mahama and the EC have been caught, in the act and hauled before court, but he doesn’t like being named and shamed. Tough! Kanewu! She was never made to withdraw.
Gabby’s post had said: “For years Martin Kpebu had been treated by some media houses as an “objective” pundit, analyst, commentator. Watch this space, not even this episode will change that!
“Did the survey that curiously sought to undertake the dubiously speculative, but arguably useful task of quantifying bribery in Ghana from Elubo to Aflao, focus that much on the Executive and specifically Jubilee for such an outré slur and barb against Akufo-Addo by Martin Kpebu?
“And, is there any available comparative earlier survey in Ghana on the estimated cost of bribery to measure the 2021 survey by for the current president to be attacked the way Martin did over this one?
“It is, indeed, odd that in the NPP, we have a government that is doing far more work and spending far more in areas that are clear where the money goes, and yet is probably the most unfairly lambasted government on the use of public funds by those who claim to be neutral yet their neutral wire is confusingly and permanently the same as a negative wire.
Mr Kpebu, was commenting on a recent corruption report published by a number of state agencies in conjunction with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The report on corruption and bribery in Ghana titled, “Corruption in Ghana, People’s Experiences and Views” and produced by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, in partnership with the Ghana Statistical Service and with support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) revealed staggering figures on corruption in various public and private institutions in Ghana.
Among other things, the report concluded that more than 17.4 million bribes were paid to public officials in the year 2021 alone.
The Ghana Police Service was ranked the highest bribe-taking institution in Ghana whilst judges, prosecutors, and Lands Commission officers in the country were named as the groups of people who take the fattest monetary bribes.
Addressing the issue on the show, Lawyer Kpebu was of the view that the statistics keep getting worse because the first gentleman of the land appears adamant about fighting corruption under his watch.
“Akufo-Addo is part of the criminal syndicate at the Jubilee House. The president is definitely part. This corruption cannot happen without his involvement.
“Manasseh did this thing about Zoomlion, the spraying. When schools were being shut down, you know the corona period, schools were being closed and they were going to come back after 3 months, what was the need for the spraying?
“You follow Manasseh’s story, it lands on the president’s desk. Other stories land on their desks. The president; we have to say with all our energy, is part of that criminal syndicate and that we will not take this from you, you have to just step down,” he said.
Lawyer Kpebu further raised concerns about how the president has failed to honour his promise of using the ‘Anas principle’ to fight corruption when given the opportunity to lead the country as president.
“In opposition, he said he will use the Anas Principle – when the president was coming into office and that’s why I voted for him with alacrity.
“What is the Anas Principle? Private investigations, so the president should tell you and I, how many Anas principles has he used since he came. “Abysmal failure – so this is 419,” he added.
