You are not treating me fairly – Nyantakyi lashes out at Presidential Commission
Proceedings at the Dzamefe Commission of Enquiry into Ghana’s participation at the Brazil 2014 World Cup were delayed Wednesday, when the President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) angrily lashed out at the Commission, claiming that he was not being treated fairly.
Mr Kwasi Nyantakyi made the claim after he was queried by the Commission as to whether he was a Christian or a Muslim.
When he first appeared before the Commission Tuesday, Nyantakyi - who is widely known to be a Christian - had taken his oath with the Quran instead of the Bible.
The development prompted the Commission to enquire why he had sworn with the Quran even though he was known to be a Christian.
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But his Lawyer, Thaddeus Sorry, declined for him to answer, stating that his client was given the option to swear with either the Bible or the Quran and that he chose the Quran.
A member of the Commission, Moses Foh-Amoaning, however, disagreed with the argument, stating that the purpose of taking the oath was to ensure that witnesses spoke the truth.
He emphasised that it was wrong for a Christian to take his oath with the Quran and vice versa.
The Commission then asked Nyantakyi to take his oath again, prompting him to protest vehemently.
The FA President said he had read on the internet the previous day that the Commission would ask him to take the oath again, and expressed anger that what was written in the report was playing out in court.
“My Lord, if I were a witness before you standing in the court of law, would you subject me to this kind of treatment? I don’t feel fairly treated at all, with all due respect to you, my Lord.
“In fact I read this on the internet yesterday that you are going to do this,” he said.
A visibly angry Foh-Amoaning, however, took exception to Nyantakyi’s accusation, urging him to withdraw it.
He said: “I am very, very offended by the position that the President of the FA has taken on the basis of an online information and presuming that the question that I asked was a fulfilment of a strategy on Citi Online.
“I feel personally very offended by the position that he has taken and I would wish that he will withdraw that statement – that implication – that means that we had pre-planned this and that that information was known to Citi online. If he chooses not to withdraw, that is fine with me. “
The Chairman of the Commission, Justice Dzamefe, finally intervened by asking that Nyantakyi be reminded of his oath so that proceedings could continue.
Listen to an audio of what transpired below:
{mp3}GFA_final{/mp3}
Background
When Nyantakyi - who is widely known to be a Christian - first appeared before the Commission on Tuesday, he took his oath with the Quran instead of the Bible.
The development prompted a section of the media to question the motive underlying the decision to swear with the Quran.
Citifmonline.com then reported that to be sure that Nyantakyi was really a Muslim, the Commission would ask him to swear again when he appeared Wednesday.
It was when Nyantakyi was indeed asked to swear again Wednesday that he flared up, suggesting that he was being deliberately persecuted by the Commission.
