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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has initiated contact with both the British High Commissioner and Inspector General of Police (IGP) to resolve issues between them.
The British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson, raised concerns on social media over the arrest of the #FixTheCountry Movement lead convener, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, for traffic offense.
“Oliver Barker Vormawor, convener of #FixTheCountry movement, arrested again, I understand for a motoring offence on his way to court. I’ll be interested to see where this goes…” the diplomat said in a tweet.
Reacting to the week-old tweet in a 4-page statement, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, mentioned that Harriet Thompson’s tweet violates the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961 which enjoins diplomatic missions not to interfere in the international affairs of their host country.
“Is there any particular reasons why of all the people arrested daily for various offences in Ghana, you are especially interested in this person’s case?. Is it the case that you don’t have confidence in our justice delivery, criminal justice system and our court processes as a whole?”.
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“Do you know the number of Members of Parliament, chief executives and other high-profile Ghanaians who have been arrested and prosecuted for road traffic offences and have submitted themselves to due process? If you care to know, we will be delighted to share the list with you.”
“For the moment, we would recommend a Ghanaian saying that might guide you in your diplomatic engagements. The saying goes: ‘di wo fie asem’ – it means learn to keep within the limits of what concerns you,” excerpts of Dampare’s statement read.
Critics have described the statement of the IGP as harsh and rude.
Reacting to this, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration noted with concern the intense public debate that has been generated by the communication between the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the British High Commissioner in Accra.
In line with the general diplomatic practice of communicating with diplomatic Missions, preferably through direct engagement, the Ministry said it wishes to remain circumspect on its pronouncements on the matter.
“We have therefore initiated contact with both the British High Commissioner and Inspector General of Police (IGP) to resolve the issue at stake,” it stated.
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The Ministry again underlined its commitment to the strong historical bonds between Ghana and the United Kingdom, which through the years, have been deepened by, among others, the exchange of high-level visits on both sides as well as increased cooperation on trade, investments, and security.
“We take this opportunity to reaffirm the bonds of friendship and cooperation between our two countries,” it stated.
Ghana l Atinkaonline.com