The former Minister of Health under former president John Dramani Mahama adminstration Alex Segbefia has accused the Office of the Special Prosecutor Mr. Martin Amidu for doing his usual biding for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
In a statement issued by the former Health Minister, said, the Interpol Red Notice requested by Martin Amidu to arrest Mr. Samuel Adam Foster alias Adam Mahama for involving in an alleged illegal Airbus scandal and other three persons including, Philip Sean Middlenmiss, Leanne Sarah Davis and Sarah Furneaux is an extension Akufo-Addo led New Patriotic Party to embarrass former President John Dramani Mahama for doing nothing.
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He noted that, “A Red Notice is usually issued against a criminal fugitive on the run who seeks actively to evade justice. It is a notice published by Interpol to law enforcement agents across the world requesting them to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending his extradition. When it is published, it is not Interpol seeking the location and arrest of the person, but rather the country that requests the publication.”
According to the former Crown Prosecutor in UK, Procedurally, Interpol would publish a Red Notice at the request of a member country provided the request meets the constitutional requirements of Interpol. A Red Notice is however, a voluntary system.
He said with much disappointment that, “A state is therefore not obliged to make an arrest based on its publicati on, and can decide to ignore it. This is because it is not an arrest warrant, and countries can themselves determine what weight to give such notice.”
In giving a further education on what is mostly done, Mr. Alex Segbefia said “What is unusual about this particular Red Notice is that Ghana Government knows where Samuel Mahama lives in the UK up to his exact residential address.”
One needs to bear in mind that all the hula-baloo about Airbus emanated from the UK courts, who have dealt with it and settled it. And yet even though he and the other persons named in the Red Notice are British Nationals, the UK government has not thought it fit to proffer any charges against them.
He is not considered a flight risk so no restrictions have been imposed on him and he has not been asked to hand over his passport. Why would the UK Government, based on the same facts as are narrated in the Red Notice, arrest him for Ghana government?
Besides, Ghana has an extradition treaty with the UK. It also has a Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement with the UK. Why publish Red Notice when the Ghana Government can formally ask for his extradition through regular channels?
The Special Prosecutor must be aware that it is forlorn hope that the UK government would extradite the three named persons. It is interesting how recently the scurrilous story found its way unto the front pages of the controversial Sun newspaper in the UK.
Mr. Segbefia concluded by saying, Individuals behind that publication are suspected to be closely tied to the family of Akufo-Addo. This so-called arrest warrant is a red herring. It is an extension of their game plan to embarrass President John Mahama because of the impending elections.
Source: Alex Segbefia
