The Minority in Parliament are calling for a bi-partisan Parliamentary Committee to investigate the cocaine saga which has generated a huge controversy in the country.
Nayele Ametefe, a Ghanaian woman was arrested two weeks ago at the Heathrow Airport in London after she tried to enter the country with about 12 kilograms of cocaine.
Nine more persons have been arrested in connection with the cocaine bust. and this brings the total number to twelve.
The nine include two women alleged to have travelled with Nayele Ametefeh.
[contextly_sidebar id=”OXgw4r4kL3uVrHH9QPijYdyLsO1fQLMI”]The Minority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu who made a case for the intervention of Parliament into the matter at a press conference on Wednesday, called for an end to the politicization of the executive position of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB).
“The position of the executive secretary of NACOB which has since 2009 reverted to the hands of politicians instead of being in the hands of professionals and intelligent operatives must go back to the latter to enhance efficiency and curb the patronizing attitude of officials,” he said.
“The unfolding event in the VVIP cocaine saga and the responses from the key government operatives including the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs call for intervention of parliament. We call for the constitution of a bipartisan parliamentary committee to investigate this Nayele Ametefeh saga that is causing such huge haemorrhage to this blessed nation of ours,” said the Minority Leader.
Speaking to Citi News after a press conference, the Deputy Minority Leader, Dominic Nitiwul insisted that assets of Nayele should be confiscated by the state because such action was taken against some suspected and convicted drug barons.
“They should go and seize all her property because she thinks that she can go to jail and come and enjoy her property. Today we must be told where all her properties are. They did that to Benjilo, they did that to Amoateng, they did that to all the drug barons,” he stated.
He also questioned: “How did that amount of drug even come into this country. That is another angle we should be looking at as a country. We don’t manufacture cocaine in this country so how did the cocaine came into the country. How come that we couldn’t arrest it and NACOB is still sitting there claiming that they are doing a good job?”
Meanwhile, Nayele Ametefeh has told officials from Ghana’s mission in the UK that she thought she was rather carrying gold in her hand luggage and not cocaine.
According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hannah Tette, Nayele told the officials that “she went through the VIP lounge. She didn’t carry anything unto the plane, [but] when she got unto the plane somebody who was a grand staff brought a bag to her, she doesn’t know who the person was but the person knew her name and the seat in which she was sitting.”
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By: Godwin Allotey Akweiteh/citifmonline.com/Ghana