General News of Wednesday, 6 January 2010

Source: Daily Post

Prez Mills Is Upset!

Reports reaching the Daily Post from the Castle, Osu, indicates that the President is upset over the car seizing activities of the chairman of the Confiscated Car Committee, Mr. Carl Wilson and his deputy, Olivier.

According to very credible sources from the sanctum sanctorum of the Presidency, President Mills, on the eve of Christmas last year, gave the order to his Chief of Staff to have Carl Wilson relieved of his post with immediate effect.

Contrary to this directive, however, Mr. Alex Segbefia, Deputy Chief of staff at the Presidency whose office Carl Wilson is attached to, told an Accra radio station, that Carl Wilson has not been sacked, conceding though that the Presidency was considering relieving him of his duties following the persistent negative media attention he has attracted for himself and the government.

Carl Wilson himself, also told an Accra based Radio Station on Monday that he was still at post and had not been sacked. According to Daily Post sources at the Castle, President Mills’ anger over the activities of Carl Wilson stems from the fact that, as Chairman of the Confiscated Car Committee has gone beyond the mandate of the Committee he chairs by seizing vehicles allegedly stolen from other countries and imported into Ghana.

According to the source, President Mills holds that the mandate of the Committee is to allocate vehicles confiscated to the state by the Customs, Excise & Preventive Service for being over-aged or staying beyond its clearance period at the port.

The seizure of vehicles stolen from other countries, the President holds, is the prerogative of Interpol. It is therefore illegal for Mr. Carl Wilson and his assistant, Olivier, to go beyond their mandate, usurp the powers of both CEPS and Interpol and go about seizing vehicles alleged to be stolen.

Our Castle sources say both President Mills and Vice-President John Mahama have felt scandalized by the many negative reports about Carl Wilson’s activities and this compelled the President to order his dismissal on the eve of Christmas last year.

Top among these negative reports is the alleged attempt by Carl Wilson to steal a Chrysler. The vehicle was seized from him by National Security operatives while it was being driven to a garage at Asylum Down in the heart of Accra for re-spraying. Then also is the incident at the Tema Harbour during which Olivier allegedly pulled out a gun and threatened to shoot a CEPS official.

However, Alex Segbefia, a Deputy Chief of Staff at the Presidency feels Carl Wilson is being unjustly victimized because of the zeal with which he is performing his duties. As a result, he has come to the defence of Carl on several occasions, raising eye brows at the Presidency. More Anon