Politics
Amoateng unsuccessfully bid to stand as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate for the Nkoranza constituency in 2000 amidst some controversy. Some were reportedly wary of his affluence. It was also reported that,in 2001,Amoateng was accused of visa fraud. [5]
Amoateng renounced his chieftaincy in 2004 in order to stand in the December 2004 parliamentary elections on the ticket of the NPP,adopting Bomini in the neighbouring Nkoranza North constituency in the Nkoranza District of the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana,as his home town. His candidacy for the Nkoranza North constituency was challenged at the Sunyani High Court in 2004,but the case was eventually withdrawn. [2] He won 46.9 per cent of the votes with a margin of 22.3 per cent to become the first ever Member of Parliament for the newly created Nkoranza North constituency,from 7 January 2005. [5]
Arrest,trial and jail
Amoateng was arrested in the United States of America on 12 November 2005. [10] He had travelled to the USA on an Emirates Airline flight to the John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) with a friend,Nii Okai Adjei. The trip was ostensibly to buy wrist watches for resale in Ghana with US$9,000 seized from Amoateng. [11] Seven boxes of pottery which had landed at Newark Liberty International Airport from London,destined for JFK a day earlier,were found to contain 136 pounds of heroin. The reported street value of the drugs was about US$6 million. Amoateng and Adjei were monitored by security personnel as they took delivery of the cargo and sent it to a self-storage location on Staten Island. They were arrested the next day when they went to inspect the goods. [1] [10] Amoateng unsuccessfully claimed diplomatic immunity following his arrest. [4] They were charged with "conspiracy with intent to distribute heroin". [10]
Amoateng and Adjei initially pleaded not guilty to the charge of conspiracy to distribute narcotics when brought to court. [12] Adjei later changed his plea to guilty. [13] Following this,a second charge was brought against Amoateng. [14] In August 2006,a third charge of "distributing a controlled narcotic substance of about a kilogram or more containing heroin" was brought against Amoateng. [15]
On 19 March 2007,Amoateng changed his plea to guilty. [16] He was sentenced on 12 December 2007 to ten years in jail. [17] He served his sentence at the Moshannon Valley Correctional Center in Pennsylvania,United States. [18]
Fallout from arrest
Parliament
Following his arrest,there was a long debate as to whether Amoateng should remain MP for Nkoranza North. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu,Majority Chief Whip,maintained that "until the case is disposed off he remains a suspect and that the allegation would have to be substantiated". [19] While the majority leader in parliament announced that the government would hold the fort for the MP,the opposition insisted that a by-election be held to replace him. [20] This went on for more than ten months. [21] One of his sons,Augustine Akwasi Amoateng,defended his father's innocence in April 2006. [22] Amoateng eventually sent a letter of resignation around May 2006 to parliament but this was rejected on procedural grounds. [23] The Speaker of Parliament,Ebenezer Sekyi-Hughes,directed on 30 January 2007,that the question of Amoateng's long absence from parliament be revisited. [24] However,he sent a resignation letter dated 4 February 2007,to the Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana which was accepted. [25]
By-elections to replace Amoateng were finally held on 13 March 2007,16 months after his arrest. [26] The seat was won by Derek Oduro,a retired army major,who was sworn in on 21 March 2007. [27]
Investigations within Ghana
Investigations instituted within Ghana in order to possibly seize assets obtained through drugs appear to have fizzled out. The Narcotic Controls Board (NACOB) had identified assets of Amoateng's accomplice,Nii Okai Adjei but were unable to pursue the assets of Amoateng possibly due to interference by officials of the NPP government. [18] NACOB indicated its intention to reopen investigations when Amoateng returns to Ghana. [28] He was arrested for questioning by NACOB on his arrival in Ghana on 7 August 2014,at the Kotoka International Airport. [29] He was detained at the Nima Police Station for four days until he could satisfy conditions of bail set by an Accra Circuit Court. [30]
Amoateng also faced trial for possessing fake travel documents on his return. His Ghanaian passport with number H2347080 which was issued in February 2009 while he was still in jail,was the same as that issued by the Ghanaian immigration authorities to a woman. He was,however,acquitted because,although the prosecution was convinced the passport was fraudulently acquired,the High Court said the prosecution failed to prove that Amoateng was aware that his passport was forged. [31] In 2017,12 years after his arrest and three years after his release from jail,NACOB stated they were unable to confiscate his assets as they still do not have the details of his judgement from the United States. [32]
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