Government must declare fate of Gitmo 2 now - Okudzeto

Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa is calling on government to, as a matter of urgency, decide the fate of the Guantanamo Bay detainees who were brought to Ghana in 2016, for a period of two years.

According to him, the two detainees, Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby's agreed period of stay ended on January 6. He reiterated that the captives have overstayed their welcome which, as of now, is in breach of Article 75(2) of the Constitution of Ghana.

On Thursday, June 22, 2017, a seven-member Supreme Court panel presided over by Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo by a six to one (6 -1) majority decision said the two are illegally in the country since the erstwhile Mahama administration allowed them into the country without the prior approval by Parliament.

The court, therefore, ordered the government to present the agreement to parliament for ratification or in default return the two ex-detainees; subsequent to which Ghana’s Parliament in August 2017 ratified the agreement to allow the two ex-GITMO detainees stay in the country.

During the ratification period, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Shirley Ayorkor Botchway informed parliament that her ministry and other stakeholders will work on an “exit plan” by the time their two-year stay in Ghana expires on January 6, 2018.

The presence of the two detainees after the expiration of their 2-year stay and the uncertainty of their fate thereof has pushed the Minority to question the government on the next step of action.

The Minority Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs is demanding an immediate action to avoid disregard of the constitution.

“What we need to do at the initial stage is to prompt government to be minded of this clear breach of article 75(2) and to demand action. We do not get the impression that the government will want to flout the constitution and disregard the Supreme Court beyond what they have done already,” he said.