Vice President of Imani Africa Bright Simons has reacted to the presidential pardon granted to the former Deputy National Security Coordinator, Alhaji Salifu Mimina Osman.
In a tweet, he said “Regular readers will recall me sharing information about the government of Ghana signing a similar opaque deal with an Israeli spyware vendor, Rayzone, that it jailed officials of the fmr government for. Well, the President has pardoned the mastermind of that deal. No more criminalising of opaque spyware deals.”
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has written to the Minister of Interior, Ambrose Dery, to release the former Deputy National Security Coordinator, Alhaji Salifu Mimina Osman, from custody.
This follows a petition lodged at the Office of President by the Paramount Chief of Kpembe Traditional Area, Kpembewura Haruna Dari Bismark Banbange Ndefoso I.
According to the petition dated Wednesday, July 26, Alhaji Mimina Osman deserves a presidential pardon on grounds of ill-health and good behaviour.
A response issued by the Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo, on Tuesday, August 1 said after consultation with the Council of State, President Akufo-Addo has exercised his prerogative of mercy in favour of the Deputy National Security Coordinator in the John Mahama administration and granted him mercy in accordance with Article 72(1)(a) of the 1992 Constitution.
“Kindly take the necessary steps to give effect to the presidential pardon immediately,” the response directed the Interior Minister.
Alhaji Mimina Osman was one of three persons found guilty of 14 different charges including causing financial loss to the state and contravention of the Public Procurement Act in the procurement of surveillance equipment for the National Security Council Secretariat.
Together with two other board members of the National Communications Authority (NCA) Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie and William Tetteh-Tevie, Alhaji Mimina Osman, a son of Kpembe, was slapped with a five-year jail sentence by Justice Eric Kyei Baffour in 2020.
The three got a total of 16 years in prison by the Accra High Court with hard labour.