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Chief of Staff petitioned over asset recovery taskforce

On Saturday May 12, 2017, the petitioner said he was stopped by a gang who were in a white unbranded pickup vehicle at the Old Barrier at Weija

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According to the petitioner Kwesi Livingstone, his Toyota Landcruiser was seized by some members of the taskforce adding that he was harassed and threatened from the taskforce.

He said such conduct must be curbed to safeguard the esteem and public goodwill towards the official residence of the President.

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On Saturday May 12, 2017, the petitioner said he was stopped by a gang who were in a white unbranded pickup vehicle at Old Barrier at Weija in the Greater Accra region.

He said due to the suspicious action of the gang, he ignored their instruction but they sped and stopped him.

A man in a police uniform (no tag name ) ordered him to park which he did.

The police officer introduced himself as Evans Agyei Mensah and asked him to hand over his land cruiser because the car is a government vehicle but he did not.

He added that he gave his business card to the boys [taskforce] and booked for an appointment.

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The vehicle was locked and when he showed up at the Flagstaff House, investigation shows that the vehicle does not belong to the state, he said.

The petitioner indicated that a gentleman by name Daniel Skillo, a staff of the Office of the President, confirmed that Mr. Evans Agyei Mensah is one of the boys in the government cars recovery task force.

He said the boys gave him up to May 17, to bring the car and the original documents to the Flagstaff House or face their wrath.

Below is his full petition:

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I humbly write, as a civic duty and personal responsibility, to petition your office over an episode of unwarranted harassment and threats to my person and property by persons associating their actions with ‘Flagstaff House’. By all means, such conduct must be curbed to safeguard the esteem and public goodwill towards the official residence of the President and Commander In Chief.

Specifically, I hereby demand superior intervention to clarify the merit or basis of my embarrassing interdiction on the highway and subsequent emotional assault and intrusive calls and threats to my person by a gang led by Evans Agyei Mensah as the attached detailed account show.

Beyond my personal grievance, this petition also serves to highlight the slippery slope and inherent risks in tolerating or giving licence to non-state actors to intrude into the rights and privacy of compatriots; among them:

Even more, the founding philosophy and Motto of the NPP affirms ‘Development in Freedom’ clearly signalling unfettered respect for individual enterprise and enthronement of private sector leadership of the economy. Such random persecution and disruptive demands on executive time and emotions of a Corporate Executive are at variance with the cherished traditions of the ruling party.

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Where, indeed, government is prosecuting a campaign to recover vehicle assets in such manner as likely to trigger incidents such as this, there must be clear prior communication of such effort in the media, clearly alerting the public with relevant details and guidelines.

In such instance, the emotional trauma of being accosted mid-journey is likely abated by foreknowledge.  A Complaints or instant Verification Desk/Contact may also be available for resort by affected persons.

Whatever the case, it is unacceptable and undeserving at this stage of our development for a Chief Executive of a respected financial institution to be subjected to the harrowing experience I have been.

No respectable citizen should be subjected to any such treatment, and government owes and must ensure this as its responsibility to loyal constituents.

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I do not demand an apology from your office but I hope the cited persons, where subsequently enlightened, will act appropriately in this direction and revert even while improving their operational manners in dealing with others in their assigned public role.

Respectfully,

Kwesi Livingstone

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