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Opinions of Wednesday, 10 January 2018

Columnist: Chris-Vincent Febiri

Chris-Vincent writes: 'Pokey nose' Inna Patty’s 'victim silencing strategy' is a grave assault on society

Antoinette Delali Kemavor is Miss Ghana 2015 Antoinette Delali Kemavor is Miss Ghana 2015

Over the last few months, I’ve questioned the culture of silence in Ghana, especially in areas of sexual abuse and exploitation—exceptionally high when those wielding some sort of power or influence commit grave crimes against others, mostly women.

A few days ago, I had a late night conversation with a Ghanaian actress on the same subject; and as someone who lives in Ghana, she seemed to have been better-placed to provide answers to the problem.

She said; a lot of victims in Ghana wouldn’t come out because society wouldn’t support their claims and more also because those who commit these crimes are mostly at the top and they would use their influence, power and friends to silence victims. If you are not lucky, they would destroy the rest of your life right in front of you.

The above is exactly what Inna Patty, the CEO of Exclusive Events Ghana, organisers of the Miss Ghana Beauty pageant who has been accused of several serious crimes is doing—to silence the victims who took the risk to speak out.

A few weeks ago, 3 Former Beauty Queens-Miss Ghana 2010-Stephanie Karikari, Miss Ghana 2015, Antoinette Delali Kemavor and Miss Ghana 2013-Giuseppina Nana Akua Baafi and 1 first-runner up-Margaret Kuma-Mintah came out to erect allegations that, Inna Patty and her Exclusive Events Ghana exploited them, embezzled funds they raised, verbally and physically abused some of them and even ‘PIMPED’ some of them out to men, in return for sponsorship deals.

Beyond these allegations, GhanaCelebrities.Com found from Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, that monies Inna Patty and her Exclusive Events Ghana through the 2013 Miss Ghana contestants solicited for Korle-Bu’s Maternity ward were never donated—just as Margaret Kuma-Mintah stated.

In any country where the rule of law is strictly adhered to, and where the societal tenets reside on accountability, justice and support for victims, Inna Patty would have now been under investigation or would have been dragged to court by the appropriate authorities to answer to these accusations.

But in Ghana, the woman who is said to have always intimidated these young vulnerable Miss Ghana contestants by claiming to know “powerful and big men” is aggressively using the President of Ghana’s law firm, Akufo-Addo, Prempeh & Co, to threaten the victims who mustered courage to share their horrible experiences with frivolous lawsuits.
In fact, she first tried to gag the media by using the same law firm to demand that all publications on the Miss Ghana scandal should somewhat be halted—calling the allegations which she has not answered to, vicious, malicious and defamatory.

It’s clear that Inna Patty is a dangerous bully, exactly as some of the girls mentioned in their interview with GhanaCelebrities.Com when they shared their stories.

And she remains a bully, freely operating in a rogue manner, of using whatever means to silence those who have suffered in her hands. This is largely possible because the victims are "weak" and the Ghanaian society rarely cares or supports such victims.

This time, we shouldn’t allow a woman who has been accused by 5 different young women of committing offences against them and the state—to turn around and terrorize them into silence because she has whatever connections to obtain one of Ghana’s foremost law firms to be writing nonsense letters on her behalf.

Legally, a defamation suit against any of the victims who spoke out would amount to nothing—as Inna Patty has to prove that whatever they said she told them or asked them to do, was in fact false.

But she’s not really doing this just because of the current victims, She wants it to also serve as a threat to future victims—not to speak out against her when she fucks up with them.

For this reason, every right-thinking Ghanaian must rise against the "tyranny" of this vicious woman, her intimidation tactics and the use of “big men” connections to shield her vile and alleged criminal dealings.

We need a society that speaks out against those who have power and influence.