‘I’m 100% Convinced Sedina Is in Custody’ – Abdulai Sakra Alhassan Calls for Official Clarification

[00:00:00]I'll be right back.

[00:00:00]>> Where is Sedina Tamakloe?

[00:00:02]>> Um I think we should call the authorities, the prison service.

[00:00:06]They they have the information, so we think we should they because if we know she's in custody, and the media can do us a very good service.

[00:00:15]>> she's there?

[00:00:16]>> I'm 100% convinced.

[00:00:18]We see the NDC is not like the other people.

[00:00:23]We are factual, we are real, and we don't fear anyone or scare anyone. We are very focused. The fact of the matter of fact is that did everything possible to bring her in Ghana.

[00:00:34]Accountability is our hallmark.

[00:00:36]We have given all the authorities to the people who supposed to and you and I know very well there was a time when we were asking about where is how do you call where is Nana Addo Dankwa the PRO of Ghana Prison Service came out to say she's here and here. I think it's a time for us to do that. If you doubt, please ask them. If they refuse to give you information on it, you can take it as on. But for >> Prison Service is a state institution.

[00:01:03]>> Yes.

[00:01:05]>> The government in power >> Yes.

[00:01:06]>> has facilitated the arrival of Sedina Tamakloe.

[00:01:11]>> Yes.

[00:01:11]>> Can we not get proper communication on this to put this matter to bed?

[00:01:14]>> When did she arrive?

[00:01:16]>> Um I think 2 weeks ago.

[00:01:18]>> Yes.

[00:01:18]>> Yeah.

[00:01:19]>> And we have given notice to to the public that she has arrived very well exactly. Let us leave that to the institution to work. If the PRO refuse to come out, we the government will come out and tell where she is and that is it. The doubt is is she in Ghana?

[00:01:36]>> Mhm.

[00:01:37]>> No, I let us have a very converse a very good converse. Is she in Ghana? She's in Ghana exactly. So let's >> No, that's not what I said. We are told she is.

[00:01:45]>> I was having a different job outside Accra.

[00:01:48]>> So how do you confirm she's there?

[00:01:49]>> We were at the airport and we didn't see her.

[00:01:51]>> Our cameras were at the airport. We didn't see her.

[00:01:53]>> Then maybe you didn't do your your um your investigation or your information was not right because she was at the airport. There are pictures and videos around and definitely >> Pictures of her at the airport?

[00:02:03]>> That's what I'm saying that the right authority >> I see you came with a lot of printed pictures. You don't have pictures of her >> So, you see >> [laughter] [laughter] >> This is a picture of her at the airport.

[00:02:19]>> The issue is that if you want her information, you'll get it. But, you see What is our problem?

[00:02:25]Our problem is this is someone that we have brought in.

[00:02:29]She has been extradited to Ghana, which is what what we have done. Have we done well? Yes. The government Let's give us that. But, you don't jump into something that you know that very well.

[00:02:40]>> to serve a sentence.

[00:02:42]>> Exactly. And we are telling you a ministry Minister of Information has told you has given you information that look she's in custody.

[00:02:49]>> Did you listen to the Minister?

[00:02:51]>> Oh, yes, very well. Maybe maybe you have something that I don't know. So, please tell me.

[00:02:55]>> WHAT [laughter] DID HE SAY?

[00:03:00]>> [laughter] >> THE CALL >> HOW MANY MINUTES WILL IT TAKE FOR HIM TO CALL THE prison service to know?

[00:03:12]>> Oh, but what I mean is he was calling and the the person was not getting the information.

[00:03:17]>> You would have found cases like this.

[00:03:20]>> So, I don't get it. Are you doubting that she's >> We are saying that give us communication on her.

[00:03:25]>> And it will be done. When?

[00:03:27]>> You just told us that she's in custody.

[00:03:30]>> the communication will come.

[00:03:32]>> When?

[00:03:32]>> It Oh, definitely the Minister will bring it out when it will be done. Yeah, for now what we have done is we have she's in.

[00:03:40]Perfectly serving her term. She has every right to do whatever she wants.

[00:03:44]Oh, but she she came to Ghana to serve her term.

[00:03:47]What What did he >> serving her term. Is she in prison?

[00:03:50]>> I know, I'm coming. No, you see why are you going to eat all these The issue is that she's in >> Right.

[00:03:56]>> If if she she's in Ghana.

[00:03:58]>> She's in >> She is with the authority.

[00:04:00]>> Mhm.

[00:04:01]>> Ghana prison prison service.

[00:04:02]>> Mhm.

[00:04:03]>> Go to Ghana prison service. Ask them, have you interviewed the PRO of Ghana prison service?

[00:04:08]>> No, we'll find out later.

[00:04:08]>> So, do that for us. So, so why are you >> [laughter] >> There are so many ways of finding it.

[00:04:13]So, don't give us that pressure. We have done what we're supposed to do, which we have done. I've never seen anywhere or any place with her welcoming her like that. But, you congratulating the government or telling the government he has done well for bringing her. And all we can see is the other side of it and say, "Where is she?"

[00:04:29]>> Because it is not enough to just bring her.

[00:04:31]>> So, the issue is that we have brought her.

[00:04:33]>> by a court of competent jurisdiction.

[00:04:35]>> Which which year?

[00:04:37]>> 2024, April.

[00:04:38]>> Exactly.

[00:04:39]>> Yes.

[00:04:39]>> And under whose watch?

[00:04:41]>> UNDER NPP.

[00:04:42]>> EXACTLY.

[00:04:42]>> And we have been exactly >> I'm coming. See, oh, you see, relax.

[00:04:45]>> I'm I'm very relaxed.

[00:04:47]>> You under your watch.

[00:04:49]>> Yeah.

[00:04:50]>> She left the soil of Ghana under your watch.

[00:04:52]>> Yeah.

[00:04:52]>> You are not able to deal with her. We have come and we have dealt with her for her to come back. And we have done everything possible to bring her back.

[00:05:00]The energy that the NPP is using to talk about where she is, where she is, where she is. They should use that energy to bring Akua Donkor back to Ghana.

[00:05:08]>> Akua Donkor has not been convicted by the >> use that energy. Look, we want him here.

[00:05:12]We You and I know we have issues with him. So, bring Kennedy. We'll do that.

[00:05:17]THAT IS WHAT we are doing. So, they should relax while I see they don't >> No, you're wrong, you're wrong.

[00:05:21]>> Let me hear from you.

[00:05:21]>> Whatever energy they have, they [laughter] should use that energy to advise Akua Donkor Akua Donkor to come.

[00:05:27]That is the energy we need from them.

[00:05:29]>> I'm happy the NDC are taking this line.

[00:05:32]Because this is not an NDC NPP matter.

[00:05:36]No. It is the public.

[00:05:38]The republic >> versus >> versus Sedina.

[00:05:42]April 2024, convicted on 78 counts in a stealing Oh, listen. Oh, Charlie.

[00:05:49]Stealing. Oh, this should have come first before this flood, but anyway, we'll revisit it.

[00:05:54]>> [laughter] >> Oh, yeah. This story won't die today.

[00:05:56]So, next week, uh O.J., I beg you, bring this to the first topic. 78 counts, Nana. Stealing, money laundering, causing financial loss to the state of 90 million cedis. Now, 2014 to 2016, how much was 20 90 million Ghana cedis worth?

[00:06:14]18.47 million dollars.

[00:06:20]That's more than the money they're using for the so-called 24-hour secretariat.

[00:06:24]They spent 12 million dollars NDC on that one. Let me come back to the issue at hand.

[00:06:28]Somebody and the extradition started under NPP. It cost money.

[00:06:34]Ghanaian taxpayers, you don't just write and then the trial itself. Daniel Axim, her co-accused, was sentenced to 5 years in prison.

[00:06:43]WHERE is he today? NDC, tell us.

[00:06:46]Has he started his prison term? Check the online. We can't confirm whether Daniel Axim, the co-accused, is in prison or not.

[00:06:56]What is NDC doing to this matter? Because when you harbor a criminal, that's what they're doing.

[00:07:03]It means that you are also complicit.

[00:07:06]Because the parliamentary committee on defense and interior, all they need to do, when I say all they need to do because the NDC members are part of my parliament, part of that committee, IS TO GO AND SNAP her picture and show us her location.

[00:07:20]It'll take seconds.

[00:07:22]>> So, why haven't they done that?

[00:07:24]>> Thank you. That's the question we need to ask because for for an administration so-called fighting corruption, so-called aura, you said you had 200 billion dollars or 20 billion dollars, where is it? Yaa Mutu. Look, this government, when it comes to administratively saying that they're fighting corruption.

[00:07:43]>> Mhm.

[00:07:43]>> What are we seeing?

[00:07:45]And profligacy. Remember what's the name?

[00:07:48]His Excellency of blessed memory.

[00:07:50]>> Atta Mills.

[00:07:51]>> No, Jerry John Rawlings.

[00:07:52]>> John Rawlings.

[00:07:53]>> He spoke about profligacy, am I right?

[00:07:55]And accountability.

[00:07:56]I don't want to pivot, but we've had in Ghana here a funeral for a father-in-law >> Mhm.

[00:08:03]>> of Sammy Gyamfi going on for 24 HOURS.

[00:08:06]NEVER MIND 24 HOURS OF I'm coming I'm I'm pivoting.

[00:08:08]>> But that has nothing to do >> I'm giving you an example of where there's duplicity in this government, this administration.

[00:08:16]Just now were we were we not talking about um uh uh extravagance in the SHS?

[00:08:22]>> Yeah, SHS.

[00:08:22]>> It's your funeral I mentioned earlier.

[00:08:24]Anybody can do their funeral, but then questions need to be asked. But I'm pivoting back. I'm linking that to show that you have a government here.

[00:08:33]This NDC government who when it comes to uh accountability and fighting corruption where its members are concerned. And there I'll give credit to the NDC.

[00:08:43]>> Mhm.

[00:08:43]>> I watched a program with uh Honorable Vanderpuye and uh uh Fuseini Issah.

[00:08:50]>> Yeah.

[00:08:51]>> Okay? And that's mention was it was mentioned that uh it was Abu Kabele.

[00:08:57]Am I right? And other NDC um uh personalities have been jailed under NDC. We'll give credit where it's due.

[00:09:03]>> Mhm.

[00:09:04]>> But on this particular issue others, the NDC is failing. And again, I don't want to make it so much like it's um NDC NPP.

[00:09:13]The republic >> Mhm.

[00:09:15]>> under NPP, this lady, this woman who abused the the public trust >> Mhm.

[00:09:22]>> stole, squandered I'm going I'm going to the 78 counts. I'm not just speaking out of my own volition. 90 million dollars.

[00:09:30]Sorry, cedis. The equivalent at the time of 19 million dollars. That's the 19 million.

[00:09:36]>> Mhm.

[00:09:36]>> And you you are now HARBORING THIS PERSON STRAIGHT from uh the US straight to when she landed at the crime international airport from there straight to in summer.

[00:09:47]They have a hospital in in summer prison for those who don't know.

[00:09:52]So if you need medical attention, that's where you need you get the attention.

[00:09:56]This I don't know how do you call it smoke mirrors and it won't help the NDC.

[00:10:03]I remember a time.

[00:10:05]And you mentioned it the Montie 3.

[00:10:07]What happened?

[00:10:09]John Mahama then president pardon them.

[00:10:11]>> Right.

[00:10:12]>> For doing what? Threatening to kill and rape the Chief Justice Georgina Wood sitting Chief Justice.

[00:10:18]>> Right.

[00:10:19]>> Signed a book of petition as the honorable Vanderpuije Nii Lantey Vanderpuije. He admitted it sitting where I am.

[00:10:26]>> Mhm.

[00:10:27]>> So and now we're hearing issues of bail being applied for Nana Nana Akufo.

[00:10:32]>> But she has a right to >> And I fully support that.

[00:10:36]But appeal while you're in jail.

[00:10:38]>> Mhm.

[00:10:39]>> Appeal while you are in jail.

[00:10:41]>> don't think she's in jail.

[00:10:42]You don't think she's >> She's not in jail because the Ghana prison service is as you mentioned earlier Nana a public institution and they you mentioned about the RTI right information. Once that a convicted criminal their whereabouts is not subject to a state secrecy.

[00:11:00]>> Right.

[00:11:01]>> And so we need to know this the NDC government are harboring her. How is it that the office of special prosecutor does not know her whereabouts?

[00:11:08]>> Well how >> The oh done. The office of special prosecutor can give out a wanted list.

[00:11:14]Yeah? The fugitive as the deputy kind of fire at her.

[00:11:17]If the office of special prosecutor can rightfully produce a wanted list, why can't the administration also tell us the whereabouts of that of an individual >> Let me hear from Elvis. Let me hear from of Elvis on this. The minority can simply file an RTI request demanding the whereabouts of of of Sedina Tamakloe.

[00:11:38]So, why all these media conversations, all these rants by the minority? Have they filed and been rejected?

[00:11:46]Anybody who take that position is just part of the problem. How so?

[00:11:52]It is so because this is a high-profile corruption case, okay?

[00:11:57]Everywhere in the world, high-profile corruption case are not are not hidden from the public.

[00:12:03]Everywhere in the world, in any serious country, high-profile corruption cases, they are not hidden from the public.

[00:12:09]>> Right.

[00:12:10]>> So, for a government to be hiding a high-profile corruption case, somebody who has been convicted by a court, that is where the problem is. Nobody should say that it's the minority that is asking. It is the people of Ghana that are asking the question.

[00:12:25]And the reason why this is a really a government is complicit in this is that a high-profile politician person has been convicted by a competent court of jurisdiction.

[00:12:39]A government says the the lady has been extradited to this country.

[00:12:43]There is no picture of her arriving at the airport.

[00:12:46]There's no picture of her being taken to any prison.

[00:12:50]Up to now, there's no picture to even confirm that the woman has arrived in Ghana.

[00:12:54]This is a high-profile case. It's not ordinary person. It's not Elvis who has been convicted or some thief on the street. This is a a a politician who had public office.

[00:13:03]So, we are not talking about some ordinary person. So, the fact that there's no picture of her arrival, there's no picture of her going to prison, and the government minister who speaks for Elvis is saying that she he cannot tell where she is, when that's a 1-minute phone call to the prison service can give him that information.

[00:13:24]And then when the prison service has remained mute and will not comment, the interior minister who supervises after will not comment, it will only show that the government is complicit in covering up the woman's uh whereabouts. There's no doubt about it because I'm saying it's not just any ordinary case. This is someone who held public office. So, there's no need for any secrecy about her. She held public office. You lose all your rights to anything called privacy when you hold public office. And he's been convicted by contempt of court. We are told she arrived in this country and there's no picture of her arrival. There's no picture of her going being sent to any prison. The government communication minister said he cannot tell where she is. The prison service is mute, will not talk. The minister is telling us that he cannot place a call to the prison service and say, "Which prison is the woman being kept?" The government communication said he he can't do that. The sector minister is quiet. And you are telling me that the government is not complicit. This is that's a simple case of the government covering up.

[00:14:27]Keeping the woman in some house, waiting for the Supreme Court to say the woman has been granted bail before they come out. That is what that they are doing.

[00:14:33]Nobody can convince me. Anybody that can convince me, show me the picture of the woman arriving at the airport. Anybody that want to convince me, show me the picture of the woman being taken to prison or in a prison uniform. In any serious country, her pictures would be everywhere in a prison uniform. In every country, her picture would be everywhere arriving at the airport in handcuffs because she's a convicted criminal. And we are sitting in this country and none of this is in the public. And then when people are asking questions, it's being turned into a political issue. Why should a question about a public official convicted of a an offense who is supposed to be in jail, how is questions about her whereabouts become a political issue that in the minority who must file an RTI? This thing does not require any RTI request. This is a simple thing that must be said. So, the silence of the prison service, the minister telling us that he doesn't know her whereabouts, the minister for the sector not commenting and no pictures of her arrival or her being in a prison uniform. All All comes to the conclusion that the government is in a cover-up over her sudden disappearance.

[00:15:33]>> Thank you. Thank you, thank you.

[00:15:36]Our time is up.

[00:15:37]We have to go. Just a minute. Briefly, a few seconds.

[00:15:40]>> The government has shown dedication and we have brought her in.

[00:15:44]>> Then give us evidence of her >> We'll do that. They should just relax.

[00:15:49]>> tomorrow. I think the moment they pray in 2020, over 790 prisoners were granted amnesty including first offenders.

[00:15:57]>> Abel, let's not do the same. Our time is up. We have to go.

[00:16:00]>> No.

[00:16:00]>> We have to go. We have to go.

[00:16:01]>> [laughter] >> We have to go. Thank you.

[00:16:03]Uh thank you, Abel.

[00:16:06]Our time is up. This has been the news review segment on Breakfast Daily.