Bribery scandal: I was careless – Rockson Bukari admits in resignation letter

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

A former Ghanaian minister of state at the presidency Rockson Bukari has admitted he was “indiscreet” in an attempt to bribe a journalist to drop an investigative piece against a judge and a Chinese mining firm, Shaanxi Mining Company.

Bukari resigned on Monday, 29 April 2019, after Daily Mail GH leaked a tape implicating him in a coordinated plan by people in high places to drop an undercover report carried out by the Starr FM journalist Edward Adeti.

The former Upper East regional minister in his resignation letter to president Akufo-Addo conceded he erred.

“I do this as a matter of principle having been indiscreet and exercised judgment contrary to what I have known you to stand for and require of your servants in running this country. I sincerely regret any inconvenience my act of indiscretion might have caused,” Bukari stated in his letter, a copy of which is in the possession of Daily Mail GH.

“I wish to express my sincerest appreciation to you for the confidence reposed in me, and take this opportunity to assure you of my loyalty, and unflinching support to you and the government,” he concluded in his letter.

“The President accepted his resignation, and wished him well in his future endeavours,” Eugene Arhin, Director of Communications at the presidency said in a statement.

Threats to journalist

Meanwhile, the journalist said he is receiving loads of death threats.

“I have lived in fear all my life ever since I started practicing Journalism…but I can say Kweku, the fear is even more intense now because I mean you’re at home, dogs are backing mysteriously, backing for more than three hours and don’t know whether somebody comes around and then when the person leaves, the dogs go on a break then they resume backing perhaps when the person is around. So the fear is more now,” he told Kasapa FM.

He added: “And if you on social media some people are not afraid to even issue open threat. I saw a threat from somebody; one Mubari Muntari or so, is there on Facebook. He said foolish Edward Adeti, he didn’t spell the Edward very well…I guess he wanted to type Edward and what came up was Endeavour.  So it goes like -Foolish Endeavour Adeti will regret this. Is there on Facebook, I took a screenshot of it.

“There have been so many threats; I met some face to face infront of the Regional Education Office in Bolga, telling me Edward you know you’re too young; you’re worrying my boss; and I know this person very well, the boss he was referring to is Charles Ndabong, the one whose name I mentioned yesterday whiles I was talking with you on Air.

“So those threats are there face to face; anonymously text comes- threat text and as they come I forward them to the BNI.”

Meanwhile, anti-corruption campaigners are calling for the prosecution of Mr. Bukari in his attempt to “obstruct justice.”

Speaking on Starr FM, 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.

Source: Daily Mail GH