Okudzeto secret US properties pops up in court documents as....

Added: 2026-05-28

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[00:00:08]During the vetting of the honorable Samuela, MP for North and the minister for foreign affairs, the minority in fact bombard with questions on the ownership of a certain plush mansion, airport hills area.

[00:00:32]The honorable during the denied all allegations mansion airport just a tenant over tens of thousands of dollars a after flying around from supposed property managers of the property. The honorable Finale Limited Airport Management during Good evening Ghana Lawyer Paul interesting revelations. Now the revelations born out of a court case. Now according to lawyer Paul Adam a court case ongoing a high ranking court case the honorable making revelations of certain properties acquired by the honorable according to lawyer in including my splash properties.

[00:02:35]The revelations, the entire story coupled with other interesting court news.

[00:02:47]seen court documents which shows that Oku Blackwa has amassed great wealth since he became minister for foreign affairs. It looks like he has acquired a home in Texas in America and also another one in California in America.

[00:03:00]This is shocking, isn't it? We found it from court documents. We'll share that with you tonight. Don't go anywhere.

[00:03:04]Stay tuned. This is good. The allegation is that there was a guy called Whoa, where did I write? Uhhuh. John Kisudis.

[00:03:13]There's a guy called John Kisudis. Now it is reported that this guy was involved in human trafficking uh bringing people in from Togo and other places. It is reported that this guy claimed to own a school um in I think greater Ara region D area and there's a school that is the JSS big school and he claims the school is for him in one document and in another document where he's being alleged that the school is being used for moneyaundering he says the school is not for him. during his uh prosecution processes um ahead of during the 2022 23 period his lawyer was justice and the cases continued up until now.

[00:03:55]Now justice becomes deputy attorney general and it appears to the complainants that because he has become deputy attorney general all the offenses or potential crimes alleged crimes committed by John Kisudi have evaporated from the system. They have been so frustrated that they have written an RTI to justice which guess what he has completely ignored. Completely ignored it. It's completely ignored it. Now this is part of the reason why the OSP's office is important. Assuming that somebody goes to report John Kisudi to the office of the special prosecutor.

[00:04:34]The attorney general people are telling us that when the OSP receives such a document, he must come to them whether they can whether he can prosecute or not. This is the kind of situation why the OSP must remain independent and be able to do his work. This is the kind of situation here is an attorney general who is showing so much self-interest in a particular matter that because he was their lawyer in private practice, he has become attorney general and therefore the prosecution should seize. So they write to Yoko. nothing happens because he sits on the board of Yoko as a as a statutory board member and then they write to attorney general's office.

[00:05:07]Nothing happens because he's a deputy attorney general. I'm going to read to you the RTI that has been sent to his office and then we see an RTI request submitted to the office of the attorney general in respect of the deputy attorney general. The petitioner draws the commission's attention to the following documented facts which are directly relevant to the public interest dimension of this petition and to the commission's assessment of the urgency and sensitivity of the matter. A Dr. Justice Serai was the private solicitor for John Kisudi in suit number so and so and so and is therefore personally and professionally aware that his client is a tool national B. Dr. Serai was nominated as deputy attorney general on February 26, 2025.

[00:05:54]Approved by parliament on March 7, 2025 and sworn into office on June 3rd, 2020.

[00:06:00]I don't think this is correct. Approved by parliament in March and so on June 3rd. Sounds too long, but anyway, let's move on. C. As deputy attorney general, Justice Shamsai now occupies a senior position in the very office that must authorize the Ghana Immigration Service to prosecute Sudi criminally. He has also been petitioned twice to take action against Sudi and is responsible and is responsible for responding to RCI request concerning this very matter. D.

[00:06:32]By virtue of his office, the deputy attorney general sits on the board of Yoko and Yoko's decision not to charge Sudi was issued approximately 6 weeks after Dr. Surai was sworn into office.

[00:06:45]The criminal prosecution collapsed on 29th October 2025 when the investigator reportedly disappeared on an unspecified national assignment after Dr. Suai had assumed office.

[00:07:00]This is the case against democracy. This is the case that looks like an alleged criminal is being protected by powerful people because now the people of Ghana have given them an office to hold within the the political arrangement, the office of the attorney general. I think a petition should be sent to the boss Dominici to tell him that this is what is happening. Now, if I read to you the potential offenses that this John Sudi Comey has committed, viewers, you will cringe what he's done with trafficking of children, bringing people in illegally, acquiring Ghanaian passports for all kinds of people. Some of them end up as criminals in other West African countries. This is the document and Justice Shai is there. So, he will not allow the prosecution to go on. He won't because it is his client. And haven't we heard this too many times?

[00:07:50]Does this sound like something you've heard before? I was a client for them in private practice and when I came into public practice, I I saw that they have done nothing wrong. I was a client. I was their lawyer in private practice. So when I came to be attorney general, I found out that they have done nothing wrong. I knew they had done nothing wrong and I still stand by the position that they done nothing wrong. Are you the are you the court? And therefore I have entered knowled prosecutor from the court. If you are confident they've done nothing wrong, let the court hear it and let the judge pronounce them not guilty.

[00:08:18]Is it not as simple as that? I was their lawyer in private practice. I assure that they have done nothing wrong. I am attorney general today. Because I know they have done nothing wrong. I've entered the noll pos. Are you the court?

[00:08:30]Are you the court? You abuse the power of knowled is put there for a very important reason not to plate your clients. No prosequ is not to plate your clients. But this what is happening all over. And that's what the deputy attender is also doing.

[00:08:46]People, somebody was his client. He was being criminally prosecuted. He becomes attorney general. Oh no, no, no. Because I knew that he was innocent and now to I I believe that. So a petition goes RTI doesn't doesn't respond. I mean the worst of what is to happen is that an RTI request will be refused by the attorney general's office, the ministry of justice. I mean what is happening in Ghana? Other people should refuse RTI and the ministry of justice should whip them that you cannot ignore an RTI. But today it is the ministry of justice.

[00:09:16]Should we go and call it the ministry of injustice? Should we do a juli house demonstration and go there and say this is the ministry of injustice. It is coming. Don't worry after this year plenty things will happen. What is this?

[00:09:28]The ministry of justice which is supposed to deliver justice, oversee justice and make sure that justice is prevailing the society. They are the people obstructing justice. the very people who have been created to defend justice and ensure that it happens to roll out justice. An RTI petition comes to you, you don't respond, you ignore it as ministry of justice.

[00:09:52]>> Okay. Is a defendant.

[00:09:54]>> Yes. The second. So it's actually against the attorney general obviously the electoral commission the NPP because they allege that certain provisions in the MPP constitution are to be challenged the NDC also as a party and the CPP because all these political parties engaged in a political in what we call an electoral college system. When we say an electoral college system, it basically means a system where the general congress or the general association seats its voting or decision-m power to a select few to make a decision. So it's the attorney general obviously the electoral commission of Ghana because they are claiming that the electoral commission of Ghana has a responsibility to ensure that the internal rules and um practices of parties are in line with the constitution as well as the parties themselves. the new patriotic party, the national democratic congress and the convention people's party and the base the >> for that I've not seen those documents.

[00:10:53]>> So we have to say something about these citizens professor Bin Dr. Tamaku and Dr. Mrs. Christina Wakunam I think they've done well. So >> senior citizens >> M P former former MP NDC >> NDC.

[00:11:10]>> Okay. All right. Okay. So I'm not sure what was going through their minds but I know who has been complaining about this for a very long time. He wanted they are wanting they wanting an a better democratic establishment within the party. And also the argument they make is that the if you look at the voting situation right now the 78 77% are below the age of 40 >> and some of these delegates if you look at them they they sort of own the party in the communities the age is quite high. Yes.

[00:11:37]>> So to get many more young people interested in the internal party system that is where you grow the interest in democracy. If we don't have if we have young people being excluded from the internal party system eventually they will be excluded from the national democracy. And so both NDC and NPP which are the main drivers of our democracy this well CPP the base and all of them they are they want to see a stronger um youth participation in the political party in fact it's good for a party like CPP because now a presidential candidate or anybody who wants to be president Mdan wants to be president he can't find his way in MP can't find his way in CPP he preaches his message to the general public the reason why we will not follow Mdan is that we think he cannot That's it. But if the system is there and MDAN takes over the CPP and says that come and register and vote for me as a candidate in the CPP and when I become president this what I'm going to do I'm going to do and the people can see a path towards it. You can have 6 million youth registering to be CPP members to elect Markdan as their candidate and therefore candidate for the main election. So it's not your case that because there's general participation in election of the flag bearer there would be heightened interest in general participation at the general elections.

[00:12:48]>> Absolutely. Absolutely. But but then so so what are what's the main thrust of the suit? So the contentions the contention of the parties who are represented by Oliver is that the current system of the election of flag bearers we have is unconstitutional on the basis that it uses what we call a delegate system or an electoral college loosely um loosely referred to where individuals whe they are the con police station executive constituency executives former ministers or whatever and not the general population of the party are the ones responsible for electing who will lead the party to the polls. That's the flag bearer. They argue that this system is discriminatory contrary to article 17 of the constitution and it is not in tandem with democratic principles of the 1992 constitution which provides that the voting of persons into power and elected offices is done by universal uh adult suffrage. And so that's basically is the the the the base of their or or the the bottom line of of their case before the courts. And so there are currently you know rival arguments >> arguments to it but there's no is a rival argument really from the the >> No when I say rival I mean >> the general philosophy but we are early where we are actually where we are actually it means that the attorney general is saying the same thing as this policy >> agrees with them.

[00:14:11]>> So so the attorney general may have even decided not to even put in anything at all.

[00:14:17]>> Yes. Yeah. He's still a nominal defendant.

[00:14:19]>> Yeah. He could have said, "Well, I don't intend." We saw that in the Kevin Taylor case where the day for said I don't have No, they not show up.

[00:14:28]>> They didn't even show up. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:14:28]There were lawyers from the attorney general's department in court, but um for that case did not show up. So, he could do that. But it seems >> But for Yeah. Yeah. Stronger push is that that means that the the do we have the panel of Supreme Court already?

[00:14:41]>> No. So, the very interesting Yes. So normally the way the Supreme Court um sits it it's it's rotational >> and so you may have what we call interlocatory hearings. It can be an injunction. It can be leave for days to file the written submissions or whatever.

[00:14:57]>> Those panels that you would see are not necessarily the panels that will decide the case.

[00:15:02]>> The panel that sits when the statement of case from the parties have been filed is the panel that is going to deliberate and deal with the substance or the merit of the issue. So we don't have the >> any on this one.

[00:15:15]>> Not that I'm aware of. There's no application to strike out. There's no application to unlike the joiner that you be doing back and forth.

[00:15:22]>> There's no joiner.

[00:15:23]>> No, they were the parts were sued. So >> not this one.

[00:15:26]>> There say that they were NP NDC CP attorney general political parties were sued.

[00:15:32]>> Yes.

[00:15:32]>> But has NP entered appearance? Do we know?

[00:15:35]>> For that I am not aware of.

[00:15:36]>> Okay. So then the case is that the NDC have entered appearance?

[00:15:39]>> Yes.

[00:15:39]>> Okay. Okay. But we don't know yet what they are saying. Yes, but we are sure that the attorney general as it stands now is in line with all his >> but I'm not I I I then we can perhaps safely conclude that if the attorney general has taken a position the NDC party will not take a different position for the attorney general. Well, seeing this government and the way things have been >> more particularly the party seems to be toying the chairman and fifu seem to be towing the British line of government where the party in in and of itself as an institution is strong as opposed to the American system where the president is strong. So you notice that there are instances where the party I mean obviously last week is Friday was an example where chairman says that well I orchestrated the removal of so so and so from the leadership of parliament >> which is what happens in Britain all the time >> which is what happen >> even when you're in government.

[00:16:31]>> Yes the for the conservative party for instance the chairman of what we call the 1922 commission committee is a very powerful uh person and you have to even answer to what we call the backbenches >> so which is what which is the British system. So in this instance there's a possibility that chairman say I'm not interested in having that therefore NDC as a corporate entity must fight.

[00:16:54]>> So we we must be interested in what the NDC has put out has to say >> and then we have to tell our viewers that okay but your view of the matter is that if the Supreme Court were to agree with the attorney general and the applicants it will be unfair. Yeah, I do not agree with it. More particularly the broad argument that >> electoral college systems are undemocratic or seeding your part and democratic. Parliament is an is a system for instance that deals with parliament is essentially an electoral college because the general participation of of of of individuals in democracy is that we have given so I vote at west men sabah I have given uh my I'm seeding my sovereignty to an individual to go and represent me in parliament >> for the next four years >> for the next four years so our democracy is rife with several examples of giving authority to people >> as a result of that social contract theory. So when we come to together to form a um um a political party, there is a recognition that if the political party has 6 million members, it is not all the 6 million members that may have the same level of commitment, that may have the same level of exposure, that may have the same level of um um committee and fraternity among themselves. Because you may have individuals that are nominal members, they just vote. They really don't hold any they don't do anything to advance the party. Let us find individuals who are passionate about the party who are constituency executives who are polling station executives who are in the benefit in the in the uh belly of the elephant or the belly of the umbrella with the eagle on top to repres to elect the leaders of the party and I believe that that is in tandem with democratic principles. Democracy doesn't mean everybody should come together.

[00:18:41]>> That's a good point vote all the time.

[00:18:43]The conversation is really about electing the president >> and the presidential candidate.

[00:18:49]>> So if you look at the constitution again, you will see that the president uh the parliament is elected by a first pass the post situation. So you can have somebody winning parliament without winning the majority of the votes there >> and it will be assumed that all of them have sent him to parliament. But when it comes to the presidency, the constitution changes. It now makes the presidency's votes 50% plus one a very obvious majority because the powers that the president controls as many more people must have agreed that he's president before he becomes president.

[00:19:20]So on that score and looking at this I am guessing that these applicants and the attorney general are saying that when it comes to the presidential candidate everybody in the party must vote. So for instance they will not mean everybody in the party when they are voting the Ashanti regional chairman of PPP. So everybody in Ashanti region may participate in the voting of the Ashanti regional chairman. But when it comes to the presidential candidate all members new and old and those who will be registered as a matter of turning 18 or as a matter of not having any affiliation but now want to join the NDC and pay their dues and I'm sure with this case if they win the dues will go a bit high. You're going to pay 100 cities 200 cities every quarter or something like that to be a member of a political party. So they can get six million people paying that and that's a lot of money. So it also energizes the party.

[00:20:07]It builds up their better IT system. It builds up programs for the youth. It builds up training and all of that because people want to have a responsible franchise. So they're going to pay 100 cities or take money from their parents to or their friends to pay the 100 cities so that they can elect the presidential candidates. And when it comes to their region, they can elect chairman. When it comes to their constituency, they can elect pooling station executives. I I don't know whether our democracy is not ready for that. But ultimately, we have to get there. But I don't know whether it is this time.

[00:20:35]>> We have to but we we also have to look at the distinguishing of the party >> from the option the the passive people and even putting a candidate out to be voted for.

[00:20:48]>> Mhm.

[00:20:48]>> Why do I say this? a party despite the fact that yes we all know the history of political parties in Ghana when Kwamin Kuma passed the avoidance of discrimination act and so Muslim association party toolan congress gashifi is that how it's pronounced >> yes and then um law youth movement and all of them came together the position since that time since 1950 1957 November 1957 to now is that political parties in their nature are supposed to be all embracing of religion tribe, ethno, ethnic groups and what have you. But that does not mean that there should not be a level of graduation as regards rank and as regards decision making because not every the election of a flag bearer is in and of itself an act of decision-m.

[00:21:39]Mhm.

[00:21:40]>> The enactment of party constitution is in and of itself an act of decisionm