More photographs showing Musah Atta, also known as “Kromo,” at public events involving President John Dramani Mahama and Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang have emerged following a controversy over his alleged connection to the presidential security detail.
Musah Atta is one of four people facing charges in Ghana in connection with a case involving a large consignment of suspected cocaine reportedly intercepted by French authorities.
The latest photographs circulating show Atta appearing at events attended by President Mahama and the Vice President. The images have renewed questions about his relationship with the political leadership and followed claims that he was allegedly part of the security arrangements around the two officials.
However, the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has said its preliminary checks have not established that any of the suspects in its custody is a presidential escort.
NACOC Deputy Director-General Alexander Twum-Barimah made the clarification after New Tafo Member of Parliament Vincent Ekow Assafuah claimed that Atta was connected to the security detail of President Mahama and the Vice President.
According to Twum-Barimah, NACOC had conducted background checks on the suspects currently in its custody but found no evidence establishing any of them as a presidential bodyguard.
He said the Commission would require further information before it could independently verify the claim concerning Atta.
The NACOC official also questioned the suggestion that one individual could simultaneously serve as a close protection officer for both the President and Vice President, saying established protection arrangements would normally assign personnel to separate security details.
The emergence of photographs showing Atta at events attended by the President and Vice President has nevertheless generated renewed public discussion about his association with government officials.
The photographs, however, do not independently establish the capacity in which Atta attended the events or whether he had any official security responsibilities.
Atta is among four accused persons facing charges following the reported seizure in France of a shipment containing several tonnes of suspected cocaine. The other accused persons are Desmond Koranteng Curiel, Kweku Okyere and Jessica Hartog.
The accused persons have pleaded not guilty to the charges and have been remanded as investigations continue.
French authorities reportedly intercepted the shipment at the port of Dunkirk, with Ghanaian authorities subsequently investigating alleged connections to the shipment.
The case has attracted significant public attention because of the scale of the reported seizure and questions surrounding how the shipment was able to leave Ghana.
NACOC has been investigating the circumstances surrounding the case and the backgrounds of the individuals arrested.
Meanwhile, the claims concerning Atta’s alleged connection to the presidential security detail remain disputed. NACOC’s current position is that its preliminary checks have not identified any of the suspects in its custody as a presidential escort.
The photographs now circulating are therefore likely to remain part of the public discussion as authorities continue their investigations and the criminal proceedings move through the courts.
As with all criminal allegations, the charges against the accused persons have not been proven in court, and the suspects are entitled to due process.
Source: Thepressradio.com
