Bryan Acheampong has with immediate effect been removed from the Ministry of National Security.
The Member of Parliament for Abetifi who served as a Minister of State at the National Security Ministry, has from February 13 been re-assigned to the Interior Ministry, where he will serve as a Minister of State, a statement issued by the Presidency Wednesday announced.
Also, the Deputy Interior Minister, Henry Quartey, has also been reassigned to the Ministry of National Security as Deputy Minister.
No reasons were given for the reshuffle by the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, who has about 11 months to end his first four-year term.
It is, however, believed to have been triggered by the recommendations of the Justice Emile Short Commission.
The Commission recommended that Mr Acheampong is sanctioned for his role in the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence in January 2019 which temporarily disrupted voting at the La Bawaleshie Presby Primary Polling Station.
The MP admitted to deploying a SWAT team to the area to act on intelligence, which he claimed suggested there was a stockpiling of arms and ammunition in the area.
The five-member commission constituted by the government in February last year and chaired by Justice Emile Short concluded that Mr Acheampong was ultimately responsible for the acts the national security operatives unleashed at the polling station.
“The Commission recommends that Mr. Bryan Acheampong be reprimanded for his ultimate responsibility as Minister in authorizing an operation of that character and on a day of an election in a built up area,” the Short report said.
It also recommended to the President Nana Akufo-Addo to clarify the exact role of Mr. Acheampong.
The government in its White Paper on the report, however, rejected the recommendation for the Minister to be punished, claiming the Commission failed to establish a factual basis for that.
“The Government rejects the Commission’s recommendation in paragraph 8.3.6 on page 59 of the Report on the basis that the Commission failed to establish the factual basis for the said recommendation,” it said.
Prior to that, there were calls for him to either resign or be sacked by the president but those were ignored by Mr Acheampong and the government.
By 3news.com|Ghana