I have no regret reporting crime in NPP to police - Achamfour

The man who reported alleged diversion of funds within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to the police, Baah Achamfour, insists his critics should deal with the substance of his allegations rather than resorting to name-calling.

He says he believes the act of diverting party funds is a criminal matter and never a civil one, and the most appropriate body in Ghana to deal with crime is the police service.

He also has no regret reporting the issue to the police, and wants anyone who thinks he was wrong in going to the police to quote him what law says so.

“I had reported the matter to the police before the committee was formed,” he told Valentina Ofori-Afriyie on Radio Gold Tuesday morning when the latter sought to ask why he did not report his suspicions to a committee set up by the party to probe the issue but chose to go to the police.

“The matter was reported to the police before they formed that committee, so I don’t think I’ve gone contrary. If the committee was to be in existence and maybe I by-passed them and reported the matter to the police that’s where someone might have accused me, but I reported the matter to the police before the committee was formed. So that issue does not come in at all, not at all,” he reiterated.

The NPP leadership has been grappling with accusations and counter-accusations over the alleged financial impropriety within its ranks, with some suggesting the police involvement in the impasse is the work of estranged party Chairman and General Secretary, Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong respectively.

But Baah Achamfour says he reported the matter to the police on his own volition, arguing that a party that accuses the ruling government of corruption must live above reproach. Besides, it is the duty of every party member to tow the counsel and emulate the nature of party flagbearer to abhor corruption.

“It’s my moral right, it’s for those who want corruption and the misappropriation of our party funds to get out of the party because they’ve been, always been attacking the National Democratic Congress of misappropriation and we’ve always been attacking them of corruption. Our flagbearer has indicated categorically that he is incorruptible, we have to prove to Ghanaians that the flagbearer means his words and whatever he says the supporters of the party also abide (by) and that anyone that we find to do contrary to what the flagbearer has said, we are not going to allow him to go scot free.

"We will make sure he faces the law to set as an example to Ghanaians that yes, leadership under the presidency of Nana Akufo-Addo, such things will not be tolerated.”

Baah Achamfour denied being the puppet of either the Chairman or General Secretary, saying he had never seen or met the Chairman since his election to lead the NPP, and while he had met the General Secretary only once (June 3rd), it was to do with comments he, Baah Achamfour, had made on a radio station that the General Secretary found uncomfortable and for which he called him.

“Since them I’ve never met him, I’ve never spoken to him. So I don’t know why people are attacking … Afoko and Kwabena. Let’s look at the substance of the matter, if the issue being raised is not correct, it loses its value, then I believe it should be set aside but if there is any prove, any evidence that substantiates the issue that I have raised, we should consider it as such and stop tagging people, putting people in boxes and saying that because he is in Box A or Box B that’s why he is raising these issues. I don’t think it helps the matter at all.”