Short Commission of Inquiry ends public hearing
The Ayawaso West Wuogon Commission of Inquiry on Friday brought its public hearing to a close.
The Commission, which started its public hearing on February 14, sat for 13 days, with 34 witnesses appearing before it.
The breakdown of witnesses include three ministers of state; Mr Ambrose Dery, Minister of the Interior, Mr Albert Kan-Daapah, Minister of National Security, and Mr Bryan Acheampong, Minister of State in-charge of National Security at the Office of the President.
Others are Mrs Jean Mensa, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, and Mr Delali Kwesi Brempong, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate, in whose residence the violence broke out at La-Bawaleshie during the Ayawaso West Wuogon Parliamentary by-election.
Others are Mr John Boadu, the General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Murtala Ahmed Mohammed, the General Secretary of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), and 10 Police Officers including Mr David Asante-Apeatu, the Inspector General of Police.
Also making appearance were three officials from the National Security, three media practitioners, and two representative of civil society organisations – the Coalition for Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) and the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) Ghana.
In addition, there was one expert witness; Dr Emmanuel Kwesi Aning, a Security Analyst; and one eye-witness.
Seven victims, including Mr Sam George, the Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, also testified before the Commission.
Following the outbreak of violence at La-Bawaleshie during the by-election on January 31, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo set up a Commission of Enquiry to do a far-reaching investigation, which would sustain the peace of the nation.
It was chaired by Mr Francis Emile Short, a former Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice.
Members of the Commission are Professor Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, an eminent professor in Criminal Law and Mr Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong, a former IGP, with Dr Ernest Kofi Abotsi, a private legal practitioner, and a former Dean of the GIMPA Faculty of Law, as the Secretary.
Mr Eric Osei-Mensah is the Counsel of the Commission.
The public hearing was brought to a close at the 37 Military Hospital, Accra, where it took the Testimony of its last witness, Mr Ishahu Yaro, who sustained severe gunshot wounds on his right leg during the violence and had been on admission there since January 31.
Mr Short, in his closing remarks, noted that the Commission would soon present its report to the President.
Mr Abotsi expressed gratitude to the President for setting up the Commission.
He expressed gratitude to their partners, especially the media, for their support.
He said the Commission is going to review carefully every evident it had received and testimonies presented.
He said the Commission’s report, to be presented to the President, would reflect a balanced way the evidence is presented.
“So nothing is going to be compromised. And I can assure everybody that this Commission is going to deliver a report that reflects the facts and evidence presented before it,” he said.
Source: GNA