By Elsie Appiah-Osei
Accra, March 21, GNA – Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak, Minister for the Interior, is set to appear before Parliament to provide details on the alleged search warrant executed at the residence of Dr. Ernest Addison, a former Governor of Bank of Ghana.
This follows an alleged raid on Dr. Addison’s Roman Ridge home on Wednesday, March 19 by heavily armed National Security operatives, which has raised concerns about due process and the motives behind the operation.
Members of Parliament (MPs), particularly from the New Patriotic Party Minority Caucus, have called for full disclosure on the legality and justification for the raid, insisting that Parliament must hold the government accountable for the actions of security agencies.
The Interior Minister is expected to clarify the basis for the search warrant and the allegations leading to the operation.
However, Majority Leader, Mr. Mahama Ayariga has defended the operation, saying it was not a raid but rather a properly executed search warrant carried out in accordance with the law. “Mr. Speaker, law enforcement officers lawfully went there to conduct a search, and it is perfectly lawful. And so, using the word raid is clearly wrong,” he said.
Meanwhile, a new date for the Minister’s appearance is yet to be announced, after Mr. Ayariga revealed that the Interior Minister will not be available on Tuesday March 25.
The Interior Minister’s appearance before Parliament is expected to provide clarity on the circumstances surrounding the alleged raid.
According to the reports armed men, approximately 20 in number, allegedly led by Mr. Richard Jakpa, Director of Special Operations at the National Security Secretariat, raided the private residence of the former Bank of Ghana Governor, Dr. Addison, on Wednesday, March 19.
Eyewitness accounts indicated that the heavily armed officers allegedly disabled the Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) system before searching the house.
Reports indicated that the heavily armed men, some allegedly wearing balaclavas and wielding AK-47 semi-automatic rifles, demanded that Dr. Addison led them to the “vaults” in his house.
However, Dr. Addison allegedly informed them that he had no vaults or cache of cash at home. Despite this, the security personnel allegedly ransacked the house, disabling the CCTV system beforehand.
According to eyewitnesses, no vaults were found, and no large amounts of cash were discovered.
The security personnel eventually left allegedly with the CCTV monitor and control unit.
Dr. Addison, his wife, and their family are reportedly traumatised following the raid.
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