Adom Appiah, the Ashanti Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has stated that the former president of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwasi Nyantakyi, is eligible to contest the party’s Ejisu parliamentary primary because he has not been legally convicted of corruption.
The NPP opened nominations for parliamentary hopefuls on Tuesday, April, 2 following the passing of the Ejisu Member of Parliament (MP) and Deputy Finance Minister, John Kumah.
Mr Nyantakyi is among the nine individuals who have so far picked up nomination forms to contest the seat.
However, there has been public outcry about Mr Nyantakyi contesting the seat, as the popular Number 12 exposé allegedly indicated that the former GFA boss was corrupt.
In an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News on Citi FM on Wednesday, Mr Appiah stated that, in his view, no court had proven the former GFA boss guilty, nor had the GFA boss admitted guilt, which is why he is qualified to pick a form and contest the election.
The NPP Ashanti Regional Secretary also suggested that it was up to the vetting committee to review Mr Nyantakyi’s document and make a decision on his candidacy, but he believed Mr Nyantakyi could contest.
“It is up to the vetting committee to peruse his documents filed and then come out with their verdicts. But on the other leg the issue of embarrassment and the likes of those. I don’t think for now there is a case against Mr Nyantakyi.
“A person is not guilty by the structure of our constitution on accusation or allegation of offences unless that person has subscribed to the guilt or proven guilty by the court. And the measure is beyond reasonable doubt. So, for now Mr Nyantakyi has not been proven guilty by any competent court of jurisdiction.”
“So, I am speaking on my part, as my personal view. I don’t think Mr Nyantakyi has been proven guilty by any court in Ghana. And until that is done or he himself admits his guilt before a court of competent jurisdiction, I will not say that Mr Nyantakyi is guilty and for that matter, he doesn’t qualify to pick a form to contest for Ejisu constituency,” he stated.