Investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, who operates undercover, has decided not to testify as a witness in the case involving former President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwesi Nyantakyi. This decision comes after a recent ruling by the High Court in Accra.
The court had granted permission for Anas to testify while wearing a mask in open court, on the condition that he reveals his face to the accused person in the judges’ chambers prior to the testimony.
Tiger Eye P.I., the investigative firm led by Anas, released a statement expressing concerns about the potential risks to his safety and security. The company emphasized that Anas’s request to keep his face concealed was rooted in his role as an undercover agent and the potential dangers associated with revealing his identity.
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The statement highlighted the case of Ahmed Hussein Suale, a key witness who was assassinated in broad daylight in 2019, on the same day he had engagements with the Attorney General’s office regarding his testimony against the accused person. Tiger Eye P.I. noted that Ahmed Suale had received death threats from Kwesi Nyantakyi and had been subjected to harsh media attacks for his role as a star witness, culminating in the exposure of his identity on national television and social media by Kennedy Agyapong, a Member of Parliament.
The company expressed its support for Anas’s decision, stating that it is prudent to err on the side of caution to prevent any potential harm to another investigator. Tiger Eye P.I. further highlighted the ongoing media and other campaigns, financed and coordinated by private and state actors, aimed at undermining their operations and the principles upheld by Anas, which obstruct efforts to combat corruption and social injustice.
Despite these challenges, Tiger Eye P.I. affirmed its unwavering commitment to the fight against corruption.
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Full Statement Below:
18 May 2023 | PRESS RELEASE
NYANTAKYI AND LAWYERS TO SEE ANAS’S FACE BEFORE COURT PROCEEDINGS
RE: REPUBLIC V. KWESI NYANTAKYI AND ANOTHER
1.Tiger Eye P.I has taken notice of the ruling by the High Court sitting in Accra to allow undercover journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas to testify wearing mask in open court on condition that he shows his face to the accused person in the judges’ chambers first.
2.Anas had earlier agreed to testify as a witness for the prosecution in the above styled case after Ahmed Hussein Suale was gruesomely murdered, on condition that his identity is protected.
3.Anas’s request for the protection of his identity stems from his role as an undercover agent and the real and elevated risk that revealing his identity to the accused person will severely compromise his physical security and personal safety.
4.It should be recalled that the late Ahmed Hussein Suale, a star witness in this case, was assassinated in broad daylight in 2019. His assassination occurred on the same day that he had had engagements with the Attorney General’s office on his testimony against the accused person in above styled case.
5.Prior to his gruesome murder, the late Ahmed Suale had been threatened with death by Mr Kwesi Nyantakyi and had been the subject of callous media attacks for his role as a star witness in the case, culminating in the revealing of his identity on national television and social media by Mr Kennedy Agyapong, the MP for Assin-Central constituency.
6.As much as Anas is willing and ready to testify for the prosecution, doing so under the condition specified by the court, presents a clear and present danger to his security and safety, especially because of the issues chronicled above.
7.Under these circumstances, prudence requires that he declines the invitation to endanger his life and accordingly declines the invitation to reveal his identity to the accused person in the judges’ chamber or any other place.
8.Tiger Eye endorses the position of Anas and states that it is proper and wise to err on the side of caution to avoid any potential attack on another of its investigators.
9.Tiger Eye’s position is further buttressed by the unrelenting, coordinated, and well-financed media and other campaigns by private and State actors to undermine its operations and the Anas principle, which stand in their way of amassing corruption and social injustice.
- Nevertheless, Tiger Eye shall remain unwavering and relentless in its fight against corruption and societal ills. Anas remains in high spirit and is grateful to the good people of Ghana for their support and protection.
