We planned to arrest Nyantakyi in 2017 – Vanderpuye
A former Minister for Youth and Sports, Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye has revealed that embattled president of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwesi Nyantakyi was scheduled to be arrested and interrogated by the Economic and Organized Crime Organization (EOCO).
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Thursday, Mr Vanderpuye, who is also the Member of Parliament for Odododiodoo constituency and a former sports journalist said Kwesi Nyantakyi could not be arrested as planned because the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government had lost power.
He said the investigations conducted by himself and EOCO gathered some information that incriminates the FA chairman.
“I was just going to go all out. It may cost Ghana a [FIFA] ban. I had built a dossier together with EOCO under Justice Charr so much that we intended to pick Kwesi Nyantakyi on the January 11 before the Cup of Nations. We were going to pick him…. The Dzmefeh Commission White Paper which bothered on criminality which could have been used against him. Some GFA guys knew about this,” he said.
He added that they couldn’t carry out the plan due to the change in government in December 2016
The reputation and credibility of FA President Kwasi Nyantakyi has come under serious question after an investigative film by a journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas captured the revered sports administer on video scheming to act as an agent and at the same time President of the GFA, to sign a $15 million premier league sponsorship deal that will see the agent [him] bagging 20% of the deal value.
He was also captured using the name of President Akufo-Addo’s name and that of other senior officials of government to get $12 million from supposed foreign investors and sharing with them strategies for getting numerous government contracts in Ghana.
Vanderpuye while he served as the Minister for Sports between 2016 and 2017, had many confrontations with the embattled GFA President over issues of ethics and procedure.
Ahead of the premiere of Anas’ video which drew thousands of Ghanaians to the Accra International Conference Center (AICC), Edwin Vanderpuye said he was optimistic the video would vindicate him.
He told Bernard Avle that he felt vindicated after watching the revelations in the film.
He has since called for the immediate resignation of Mr Kwesi Nyantakyi and other allies complicit in corrupt deals at the FA.
Source: citinewsroom.com
