Anane returns!

...Constituents call for his re-instatement as Road Minister
Supporters and friends of former Minister for Road Transport, Richard Winfred Anane, have praised and welcomed the decision by the Supreme Court, which effectively clears the former Minister for Road Transport of any wrongdoing.  Now that their MP is cleared his constituents are calling on the President to quickly re-appoint him as a minister of state.

Incidentally, Dr Anane's position at the Road Ministry was left vacant in the one year that he resigned. Former Majority Leader Felix Owusu-Adjapong acted for some months before he also resigned to contest for the party flagbearership.

The Nhyiaeso constituents this paper contacted demand as a matter of urgency their MP to be reinstated to his former position as the Roads Transport Minister "to continue with the good works that he left behind, while the state works out a commensurate compensation for him.”

To them, Dr Anane would still have been a Cabinet Minister if he was not forced to resign by the now struck-out findings and recommendations of the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice on September 15, 2006. The Commission found him liable for perjury and conflict of interest over matters arising from his relationship with the mother of his American lovechild, and recommended his dismissal by the President.

That decision was later on quashed by the High Court acting as a supervisory body over the administrative tribunal, CHRAJ. An appeal by CHRAJ for the Supreme Court to overturn the High Court decision was unanimously refused by five senior justices, presided over by Chief Justice Georgina Wood.

Our reporter went to the constituency to sample the views of constituents. To some of the people interviewed by this paper on the streets of Nhyiaeso, in Kumasi, they hold on to the view expressed by the NPP constituency chairman a year ago that the case against Dr Anane was politically motivated by his 'enemies' to end his political career as well as his hard-earned personal reputation.

Some even speculated that their MP was at the time nurturing a presidential ambition.

Agyemang Pambour, the NPP Constituency Secretary, told our reporter that all along he was very sure of Dr Anane’s innocence of all the charges levelled against him by CHRAJ.

But, Dr Anane only wanted to allow the rule of law to take its own cause just to justify the NPP’s commitment to zero tolerance for corruption, Mr Pambour stated.

According to the party officer, Dr Anane has proved his worth as a matured politician who believes in the rule of law, saying "he could have used his political and social status to influence the decisions by the CHRAJ but he never did. Why, because he respects the Constitution and any institution that is established by it."

 Joyce Afful, a worker with Cozy Lodge at Nhyiaeso said their MP’s vindication should come with apologies from the CHRAJ since they have caused trauma to his inner being and his reputation as a politician. She is asking the Supreme Court to sanction the Commission if it has the power.

She also asked the family of Dr Anane and their lawyers not to "sit down" after winning the case but should use constitutional means for CHRAJ to apologise to him and the family as the Commission has caused great pain and brought shame to them.

Ironically, CHRAJ had recommended that the former Minister apologise to Parliament for allegedly lying to the vetting committee in 2005 over the amount he remitted for the upkeep of his son in America.

Information reaching The Saturday Statesman suggests that Dr Anane is likely to be re-appointed soon. In light of the court ruling, his vetting is expected not to be as dramatic as two years ago.

What was not clear was to which portfolio. A source said it may not necessarily be to a ministerial position. "Chief of Staff would have been ideal if only there was a vacancy," a source close to the Minister told The Saturday Statesman.