Anane's Senseless Apocalypse

Dr. Richard Anane' conduct in this particular instance smells like a pointless apocalypse and points towards a senseless destruction of the sanctity of doing serious government business. It probably represents the zenith of conflict of interest in public office.

It has emerged from Dr. Richard Anane's own e-mails that whilst as minister of health, he ?took time' to persuade the then Attorney General to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with his damsel. He did not however, disclose to the A-G that he was sexually involved with Alexandra who was then doing a project with the Ministry of Health, of which Dr. Anane was the Sector Minister.

Meanwhile the Commission For Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has indicted that it is investigating allegations of conflict of interest levelled against Dr. Richard Anane in sections of the media. CHRAJ has indicated that powers to investigate such allegations are drawn from the 1992 Constitution.

Read below the unedited e-mail between Dr. Anane and Alexandra From: Dr. Richard Winfred Anane (Richard@africaonline.com.gh)
Sent: Friday, July 13, 2001 9:38pm
To Alexandra O'Brien
Subject: Re

Alexie Dearie,
Thanks so very much for the updates and the program. Guess what? Justice finished down-loading the QuickTime program as you advised at 02.08hrs GMT. Indeed, I arrived home close to mid-night, local time which is also equivalent to GMT. I am so grateful to you for the programme and the order very informative updates. You are a Darling! I think all I can say is that I am anxiously awaiting the arrival in Ghana of my very ?special secretary, I miss you.

I can say something definitive about the MoU by Monday. That is what the A-G assured me of. He appears to be very interested in the project after I took some time off to update him. He appreciates the impact of the entire programme on the epidemic in Ghana if we avail ourselves of it. He has recently been inundated with so many legal tussles at our supreme court and the fast track courts. That, he says explains the undue delays. Indeed I was also not going to access my mails until I got his reply by Monday in order to communicate to you with no ?fuzziness' and hollow explanations. But I could not! I could not! I just was burning to read you! And you sure understand why! Do expect it as he has promised. I want to believe he will keep his word. Meanwhile let that voice keep floating the music to my ears!!!

As CHRAJ moves to investigate issues of conflict, the constitution is explicit on the words ?conflict of interest'. Under the code of conduct for public officers, the constitution states in Article 284 that "A public officer shall not put himself in position where his personal interest conflicts or is likely to conflict with the performance of the functions of his office."