Bribery scandal: Prosecute Rockson Bukari – Anti-corruption group

The Citizens Movement Against Corruption has called for the prosecution of a former minister of state Rockson Bukari for “obstructing justice.”

The former Upper East regional minister resigned on Monday, April 29, 2019, after a tape leaked implicating him in a move to prevent a Starr FM journalist Edward Adeti from publishing a story against a judge and a Chinese mining company, Shaanxi Mining Company late in 2018.

He promised financial inducement and other gifts from Shaanxi once the journalist drops the story.

Speaking in an interview with Morning Starr host Francis Abban, the co-chair of the movement Edem Senanu said government must show interest in Mr. Bukari’s case of bribery and prosecute him.

“Rockson’s resignation shouldn’t be the end of the story. Further investigation is required. This is a case where we have a public officer interfering with the work of the justice system. There is a need for investigation and prosecution,” Mr. Senanu stressed.

He added the judge must also be investigated for allegedly meeting a party of a case before him at his residence.

“The judicial arm will have to take up the aspect of the Judge. The Chinese company will have to be taken up. Rockson needs to be investigated too,” Senanu noted.

Last week, details emerged of a telephone conversation between the minister and Mr. Edward Adeti revealing how Mr. Bukari in a frantic and desperate effort tried to prevent the Starr FM correspondent from publishing a damning story when he was heading the Upper East region.

The most senior judge in the Upper East region, Justice Jacob B. Boon, was caught meeting officials of Shaanxi Mining Company Ltd – a party in a case before him – day and night in November 2018 at his residence.

The journalist Mr. Adeti confronted officials of Shaanxi and the judge with his evidence two days prior to judgment. Thereafter, he began receiving telephone calls from some powerful figures, who are linked to Shaanxi, pleading strongly on behalf of the judge and the Chinese-owned company to not publish the findings.

Mr. Bukari was one of the powerful figures who allegedly arranged cash inducement and other gifts for the journalist to kill the story.

In the recorded telephone conversation the former Upper East regional minister was heard pleading heaven and earth with the reporter to shred the story.

However, Mr. Bukari in a statement Sunday said he was only playing a peacekeeping role.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Minister’s approach by way of pleading with Edeti is typical with his peace-making intervention approach to situations, and in this case, sought to avoid what he was informed was a misjudgment sought to be projected to hurt the reputation of a retiring judge in the region he had superintended as minister,” a statement from his office said.