Newpaper Editor Under Security Surveillance

The Heritage can confirm that after weeks of investigations that Kwesi Pratt Junior, Editor of The Insight newspaper, has been under security surveillance by government agents since October last year.

Government took the decision on suspicion that Kwesi Pratt is being used by former President Jerry John Rawlings to incite the Armed Forces and the public against President Kufuor's administration.

Our security sources say Mr. Kwadwo Mpianim, Chief of Staff of the Office of the President, first raised the issue concerning Kwesi Pratt's relationship with the former President at an emergency meeting of the National Security Council held on October 4, 2002 at the Castle, Osu.

"Mr. K. Mpianim said information he had received indicated that the former President is using Kwesi Pratt Jnr. to publish articles in his paper, which would insite the Armed Forces and the public against the government", our source quoted from Security documents.

Continuing, Mr. Mpianim reportedly informed the National Security meeting that "the information available to him indicates that Kwesi Pratt has been visiting the former President very often. That he (Mpianim) has written to the Acting Minister of Interior so that his (Pratt's) activities and movements should be monitored."

The security meeting was attended by Dr. Kwame Addo Kufuor, Minister of Defence and the then acting Minister of Interior; Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, then Minister of Justice and Attorney General and Mr. Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, then Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs.

Others were; Mr. Kwadwo Mpianim, Chief Of Staff, Lt. General Seth Obeng, Chief of Defence Staff and Nana Owusu Nsiah, the Inspector General of Police.

Also present were Mr. Francis Poku, National Security Co-ordinator and Mr. Owusu Ababio, Presidential Security Co-ordinator.

The Heritage can further report that among issues raised at the Emergency Security Meeting of October 4, 2002 was the behaviour of the Presidential Security Guards who were also accused by the Security Council to be giving certain information to the newspapers, apart from some being perceived as a threat.

Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey, in his contribution, particularly suggested that new Presidential Guards be selected among the loyal members of the NPP for training to take over from the incumbent ones drawn from the police units.

Activities of private security firms were also of concern to the meeting. Dr. Addo Kufuor was quoted as having stated that reports he received from the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) indicate that some of the heads of private security organisations were members of the NDC who were licensed to operate on the basis of party affiliation. The Defence Minister was quoted as reporting to the meeting "that the Security personnel of these private organisations are members of the former CDO, which is a wing of the NDC.

Against this background, a Supervision Board was to be set up to review all applications and current licences of all private security organisations in the country.