Anthony Abayifa Karbo, Deputy Communication Director of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has described as reckless comments made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Madam Hannah Tetteh on the Nayele Ametefeh cocaine saga.
The foreign Affairs Minister in an interview granted to an Accra-based radio station, Radio Gold, indicated that Nayele Ametefe, the lady arrested at the Heathrow Airport, UK, for carrying 12.5kilos of cocaine has confessed during interrogation that she thought she was carrying gold and not cocaine.
“This is the story she told the consular staff, that she went through the VIP Lounge…She indicated that when she got to the VIP lounge she didn’t carry any bag onto the plane, but when she got to the plane somebody (ground staff) brought a bag to her. She didn’t know who the person was but the person knew her name and the seat on which she was. However, she received the bag… she said as far as she was concerned, she didn’t know what she was holding was cocaine… she thought it was gold. Whether that is true or not that is not the point I am raising. I am not here to judge and she wasn’t ready to give any more information,” Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister said.
But speaking during a panel discussion on PEACE FM Morning Show, ‘Kokrokoo’, Anthony Karbo said he does not understand why Hannah Tetteh, “a whole Foreign Affairs Minister” will turn herself into a spokesperson for Nayele Ametefe also known as Angel.
Nayele pleaded guilty to the charge of trafficking and illegally possessing cocaine. She told a London Court on Thursday that she was guilty of the offence and wanted to be sentenced immediately.
With this in mind, Karbo does not understand how at one instance Nayele will claim she didn’t know it was cocaine in the bag and at the same time, accept that she is guilty.
“The minister embarrassed herself with what she told us… Her interview was so reckless and a diplomatic embarrassment… the lady claims she had an Austrian passport and so she was not Ghanaian at that time but ask yourself; has the Austrian embassy approached the lady? And so what business does she have to approach the lady?” Karbo queried.
Meanwhile, he has disagreed with those who claim the Nayele Ametefe cocaine saga should not be politicized.
According to him, once he is a “politician and not a pastor” he is going to politicize the issue “because all over the world drug issues are always politicized. We will discuss it with the lense of politics.