Embarrassment, to say the least, is what he felt when he joined the scores of Ghanaians who trooped the Accra International Conference Center to have a glimpse of the much-anticipated premiere of investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ ‘Number 12’ piece, Archbishop of Cape Coast Archdiocese of the Catholic Church, Most Rev. Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle has revealed.
According to Archbishop Palmer-Buckle, he was crushed as he sat watching the investigative piece and hearing people saying “God bless youâ€.
“All those who were involved in this very evil act of receiving bribe kept on saying God bless you, God bless you, God will bless you. As I sat down anytime they said it, I felt uncomfortable until at a point in time I heard somebody behind me saying Ah! Look at what you are doing, and taking the name of the Lord our God in vain,†he narrated.
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He said persons who took bribe and still shamelessly thanked and blessed the givers in God’s name obviously have no respect and fear for God.
Archbishop Palmer-Buckle speaking at the launch of an interfaith anti-corruption project ‘Speak up! Resist! & Report Corruption’ said Ghana as a country is known to be “incurably religious†for which reason it is quite troubling the rate of corruption in the country and how that very religious people are able to still able to act evil and even use the name of God.
“The 2010 census makes it clear that 71% of Ghanaians claim they are Christians and about 22% claim they are of the Islamic faith and then about 7% claim that they belong to the traditional religion but all they say, they are believers so Ghana, therefore, is incurably religious and God-fearing so we should ask ourselves that question, why then are we corrupt?†he said.
About Number 12
Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ investigative exposé dubbed #Number12 focuses on corruption in football and football administration.
Even before its premiere, the video had generated huge controversy, becoming the subject for many radio and TV discussions due to a revelation that the President of the Ghana Football Association, Kwasi Nyantakyi used the name of President Akufo-Addo to solicit bribes from supposed foreign investors. President Akufo-Addo reported Mr Nyantakyi to the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service after watching excerpts of the film.
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Mr Nyantakyi was later interrogated by the CID and had his phones and laptop seized as part of investigations.
The deputy minister for Roads and Transport, Anthony Karbo was also invited to the CID later to assist in investigations after it emerged this his name was mentioned in the video in a possible corruption deal.
It is also reported that some unidentified persons have been tracking Anas’ office “and other locations ostensibly to harm him.â€
Source: www.ghanaweb.com