The Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has hinted that aspects of the sittings of the Justice Emile Short Commission of Inquiry into the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election brutalities may be opened to the general public and the media.
He also noted that the final report of the commission will be made available to the public.
The Minister made the disclosure on Citi Eyewitness News on Thursday.
A security analyst, Adam Bonaa had earlier called on the government to show the commission’s sittings on live TV.
To him, the move will ensure the credibility of the process and its final outcome.
“Let us have an open house inquiry where the media will be invited so we view this on live TV so that we following sitting-by-sitting how this will go just so that that in 2020, we will all be assured that we have learned lessons and those who do this will be punished and those who are planning to do same, will know that they will be shamed and punished,” he said in a Citi News interview.
But Kojo Oppong Nkrumah in his interview on Eyewitness News stressed that the commission was a public one and so he “suspects” that aspects of the proceedings will be held publicly.
“In this instance, this is a public commission of inquiry, this is a presidential commission of inquiry. I suspect that some of their hearings will be in public. I suspect that their report will be made available for everybody to see what the outcomes are. If the President didn’t want a public exercise in this instance, we wouldn’t even start this enterprise.”
The Minister further downplayed suggestions that just like many other past presidential commissions, the Emile Short commission will have its final report shelved and not acted upon.
Who are the members of the commission?
The Vice President, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia with the permission of President Akufo-Addo on Wednesday set up a Commission of Inquiry to look into the election violence that saw uniformed masked men supposedly national security personnel, unleash violence on some citizens.
The Chairman of the Commission is Justice Emile Short. It also has former Dean of the Faculty of Law of GIMPA and private legal practitioner, Mr. Ernest Kofi Abotsi as its Secretary.
Henrietta Mensah Bonsu and Patrick K. Acheampong were also appointed as members of the Commission.
The commission has been given one month to complete its work.
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Source: CitiNewsroom.com
