Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kwesi Nyantakyi maintains his assertion of possessing good character despite enduring a prolonged FIFA ban due to corruption allegations.
Nyantakyi has acquired forms and is set to undergo scrutiny by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as he aims to represent the people of Ejisu in Ghana’s parliament.
With the Ejisu Constituency left without an MP following John Kumah’s untimely demise, Nyantakyi, originating from the constituency, has stepped forward.
However, his prominent role in the controversial Number 12 documentary has led many to question his moral suitability for public office, particularly as a lawmaker in Ghana. Exposed in the investigative piece by journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas for bribery and corruption, Nyantakyi incurred a lengthy ban from football activities by FIFA in 2018.
FIFA’s Ethics Committee imposed a lifetime ban on Nyantakyi upon finding him guilty of breaching ethics regulations on conflicts of interest, bribery, corruption, and commission.
Despite his life ban from football being later reduced to a 15-year sanction by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), criticisms against him persist in Ghana, especially after his recent admission of bribing Anas Aremeyaw Anas with $100,000 to prevent the airing of the incriminating documentary—a claim Anas has refuted.
Some have expressed astonishment at Nyantakyi’s decision, nevertheless, he has staunchly defended himself, stating that he does not view his past actions as a deterrent to his political prospects.
“Controversies are not necessarily justified. Controversies may be motivated by considerations such as politics, such as envy, differences in opinion, etc. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re justified,” Nyantakyi remarked on Joy News.
Nyantakyi went on to challenge, “What is wrong with Mr Nyantakyi’s character? I am a man of good character. Have I been declared to be a man of bad character by any court of competent jurisdiction in Ghana or by any committee or anything of that sort in Ghana? Have I?”
Regarding FIFA’s actions against him, Nyantakyi clarified, “That is an arbitration. It is not part of Ghana’s laws. Corruption in FIFA statutes doesn’t mean corruption in Ghana law. They’re entirely different in meaning. We’re operating within the laws of Ghana so you must confine yourself to the meaning of crime as defined in Ghana.”