An African American classic movie, Cotton Comes to Harlem made waves in the 70’s. In it, the Harlem’s African-American population is being ripped off by Rev. Deke O’Malley, who dishonestly claims that small donations will secure parcels of land in Africa.
When New York City police officers Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson look into O’Malley’s scam, they learn that the cash is being smuggled inside a bale of cotton. At the end, Deke O’Malley was publicly exposed and he lost his popularity and with it, came shame.
In Ghana, a self-acclaimed investigative journalist, Anas Amereyaw Anas, coming from under the shadow of KwekoBaako Jnr, hit the scene in the later years of Rawlings’ administration.
From there, Anas started producing documentaries on public officers he would allege were deeply involved in corruption. Starting with the Burger Story in 1999, Anas regularly had something to serve, that touched the hearts of many Ghanaians.
Some Ghanaians, however, like Gravedigger and Coffin, were convinced that there was a scam.
First there was this case of voice-over in his documentaries which could not really translate into what was actually happening. Then Anas’ style of investigation was thought to be entrapment, which in itself is illegal. In fact legal luminaries, Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong (NDC) and Gloria Akufo (NDC) on two separate occasions stated that Anas’ documentaries would not pass in court.
His hit documentaries included the September 2015 Ghana in the Eyes of God which was on Judiciary Scandal and May 2019 Number 12: When Greed and Corruption Become the Norm. But it was here that more Ghanaians started openly criticising Anas. For example, in Ghana in the Eyes of God, a judge was videoed from a distance receiving an item, but with a voice-over, Ghanaians were told the judge was receiving a bribe.
Then in Number 12: When Greed and Corruption Become the Norm, Anas posed as an Accra Hearts of Oak official and went to bribe referee Samual Suka to spice the team’s match against Kumasi Asante Kotoko in Hearts’ favour. During that match a dubious penalty was awarded against Kotoko for Hearts to win the match played in March 2017. May 9, 2001 could have bneen revisited and who will open up to accept the blame?
There was this encounter with Kenyan referee Aden Marwa, who Anas insisted he takes money from him. In the documentary it came out that Marwa was bribed and he was banned for life by CAF and FIFA. Anas can use people and dumped them.
What actually became distasteful to some Ghanaians was when the GFA chairman, Kwesi Nyantakyi was caught on camera striking a deal with investors in a business that had nothing to do with football. What many Ghanaians do not know was that what happened in that room was a normal way brokers strike deals.
When Kwesi Nyantakyi was refunded the money, he used as travelling expenses and boarding and lodging, Anas told us in the documentary that the GFA boss was receiving bribe. This ended the career of this football administrator and with it, his chances of becoming FIFA boss.
Gradually, it was becoming clear that Anas was using all the wrong and illegal methods to produce his undercover documentaries. For example, his September 2007 documentary on child prostitution, dubbed Soja Bar Prostitution was not his original work. It was the work of Jonathan Adams, of the Observer newspaper, who was doing decent job, until Anas led by Tatiana, an American, hijacked it from him in what a crime called plagiarism in journalism.
Also, Anas went ahead and engaged in child pornography when he secretly videoed children having sex. This constitutes Child Abuse and one could get jailed for it.
Anas’ bubble burst when Hon Kennedy Agyepong obtained undercover recordings on him and exposed him for what he really is when doing undercover works.
Today Anas has been exposed for what he truly is. Using undercover investigations to enrich himself. How could he accept $100,000.00 to remove the real culprit in a $1.9 million scandal and make him go scot free?
People are asking about the undercover work on Ghana’s Legislative Arm of Government, which Anas told Ghanaianswas would expose worse corrupt acts and he would show after the episode on the judiciary. The question is, how much did Anas received to ditch this documentary?
Anas rushed to court to use the law to cover up his misdeeds demanding GH¢ 25 million from the defendant, Kennedy Agyepong. Unfortunately, relying on video evidence before him, Justice Eric Baah, on March 15, 2023 exposed how corrupted Anas is and dismissed his claim.
Now Ghanaians are now waking up and questions fired out. Who is sponsoring Anas, with thethousands of dollars being spent as bribes in his documentaries? How much isspent on those Arab street boys Anas hires to pose as very wealthy businessmen? What is in it for Ghana? What is Anas, a full-blooded Ghanaian gaining by presenting Ghana to the outside world as the most corrupt nation on earththat should be avoided as investment destination. Meanwhile, the countries sponsoring Anas are worse in acts of corruption.
Cotton Comes to Harlem has come to town and Tiger I, should stop convincing itself that Anas can get the admirers as before. Our Rev Deke O’Malley has been exposed. Amen, somebody.
Hon Daniel Dugan
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
