Nunoo-Mensah Orders Seizure of Mpiani’s Passport

National Security Adviser, Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah is still a disturbed soul and until his wishes of jailing some government officials are fulfilled, intelligence signals picked by this paper, suggest that he will never be himself.

From all indications, he is the man calling the shots in the Mills’ administration. He is backing his threats of arresting former government officials whose names have come out in the various investigative findings by the Government Transitional Team with firm directive for the seizure of their passports and subsequent arrests, before any of them attempts sojourning outside of the country.

His first target as TODAY gathered after intense hounds, has been the former Chief of Staff and Minister of Presidential Affairs in the Kufuor administration, Kwadwo Mpiani.

Intelligence signal picked up by TODAY suggests Brigadier Nunoo-Mensah is not happy about what he considers as the reticent posture of Mpiani to respond to government directive to surrender himself to the Security apparatus for further interrogation in relation to the incriminating findings made against him by the Government Transitional Team that looked into assets of former public officials.

The Brigadier would not pick his cellular phone when TODAY tried contacting him and would also not respond to a text message in relation to the subject matter that the paper sent to him.

The apparent reticent posture of Mr. Mpiani, the paper gathered is irking most, the former Chief of Defence Staff of the Rawlings-led PNDC junta. Under the circumstance, a reliable security source hinted TODAY that the Brigadier has issued a firm order for the arrest of Mr. Mpiani and the seizure of his passport before the end of the week.

This is in lieu of belief within government circles that Mr. Mpiani might run away although from all indications, the former Chief of Staff, this paper gathered is currently in Kumasi, his hometown. Close aides of Mr. Mpiani however dispelled the fears, saying the former Chief of Staff was prepared to appear before any investigative panel to answer charges established against him.

The aide was not happy about the impression being created that Mr. Mpiani has or is planning to run away from the country, saying “Mr. Mpiani knows he has done nothing wrong to warrant such a decision. He is prepared to face any of the government’s inquisitorial team and answer any incriminating charges or findings against him”.

Later Mr. Mpiani told TODAY that he does not know of anything of that sort, and indeed if “something of this nature is being taken by Brigadier Nunoo-Mensah, he will order his officers to go about with such an act” adding “but so far as I am concerned, I am not in the know of this seizure of my passport”.

Insiders hinted TODAY that the swiftness with which the former District Chief Executive for the Birim Central District was locked up at the BNI cells for close to 48 hours last week offers an insight into how the Brigadier might not mince words about the Mpiani arrest. The arrest of the former DCE, TODAY gathered was caused by the Brigadier.

The former District Chief Executive for Birim Central, Frank Kwame Bosomtwi was locked up at the BNI cells in Accra after being brought to Accra by the Birim Central BNI chief on orders of the Security Adviser.

The Brigadier’s posture, security sources disclosed is a response to growing agitation led by former President Rawlings within government circles that the President was being slow about the prosecution of former Ministers who in the opinion of Kwesi Pratt, there are overwhelming evidence to establish a prima facie charges against them.

Many NDC hawkers are said to be against the Presidential directive that the Don Arthur findings should be looked at because findings made on some of the former Ministers were inconclusive. The President therefore directed that the National Security, with copy to the Security Coordinator and the Attorney General’s Department should look again at the report, correct any such anomaly and advise accordingly.

When it became obvious that other government officials, including Dr. Don Arthur, the leader of the government Transitional Team that investigated assets of the former public officials, were being cagey about their comments on the issue, it was Nunoo-Mensah who dropped the bombshell about government decision to trail every single Minister whose name has come up in the Don-Arthur report.