Late Batidam’s family traumatised as ‘order from above’ triggers armed raid over cars
Barely two weeks after the burial of one of Ghana’s foremost anti-corruption campaigners, Daniel Batidam, his family members are yet to meet and take stock of his assets and liabilities. But before they do that, there is already a fierce challenge, which the family say has left them traumatized.
On Wednesday night, six-armed policemen and two civilians raided the late Batidam’s house to seize cars, a Toyota Camry and a Mitsubishi Pajero, which they claimed belonged to the state.
They were led by one Kwabena Ahinkra, who said he was working under instructions from Captain Koda, the Chief Security at the Presidency.
The one who had the keys to the room in which the keys of vehicles were, was not present at the time; but they would not wait until she came. The family member who spoke to theghanareport.com said the handbrake of the Camry was not on, so they forcefully towed the Toyota Camry to the Adenta Police Station.
They also made one of the family members of the late Daniel Batidam write a statement.
Today (Friday, February 21, 2020), the family are expected to send the Pajero to the Adenta Police Station, where the seized Camry is currently parked. The family say they are traumatised by the action of the state, but they will comply.
“We are highly traumatised that barely two weeks after his burial, our Daniel is being accused of stealing state property. Someone is out to give him a bad name in his death. Why now and not when he was alive?” a family spokesperson told theghanareport.com
Ownership of vehicles
According to the family, neither of the vehicles belongs to the state. The late Batidam served as a Presidential Advisor on Corruption and Governance under the John Mahama administration. When they were leaving office, they were given the option to buy their official saloon cars they were using.
Documents on the Toyota Camry sighted by theghanareport.com indicate that the Camry was valued at the STC, and the late Batidam paid for it before the ownership was transferred to his name.
The used Toyota Camry was valued at 25,000 cedis and he paid. In addition, he paid a duty of 12,000 cedis before the ownership of the vehicle was transferred to him.
Batidam bought the Mitsubishi Pajero from Malin Investment Company Limited in September 2019, nearly three years after leaving office. There are documents showing when the company imported the vehicle, the duties they paid and the transactions between the company and the late anti-corruption fighter.
Even though the family showed documents of the vehicles and the police and other officials who stormed the house authenticated the Chassis and engine numbers of the vehicles and inspected the documents, they still insisted on seizing the vehicles.
Daniel Batidam, a former Executive Director at the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), died on Wednesday, January 1, 2020, at Mampong in the Eastern Region.
Mr Batidam also served as representative for Ghana on the AU Advisory Board on Corruption, a positioned he resigned from subsequently, citing deep-seated corruption, lack of accountability among others at the secretariat at the AU Commission.
He resigned in June 2018.
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Posterity will never forgive this democratic dictator named Nana Addo and his cohorts who are bent on using state institution to victimize citizens and coerce them to dance to the tune of their music.God is watching
If the ownership of the cars is suspected to be fraudulent why did the NPP government wait for 3 years after taking over governance before going after the deceased? This doesn’t make sense.
Why wait till his death before seize the properties? Sometimes the way we deal with issues is very worrying.
God is in heaven looking at them to change but they refused. Why can’t you claim ownership of these cars when the person is alive? Now that he is dead, who will belief you. Only a fool will fight a ghost.
You want to take this one too and give to your party faithful like the seized pick-ups from galamsay operators. All these those who were vocal to all issues during Mahama’s erra are at mute. God will judge all of you for not saying the truth. This my dear men of God. It is pity to see yourself in hell after all these.
God bless our homeland Ghana.
Shameless and faceless acts of vandalism and complete abuse of power. You wait until a man has died, then you begin to harass his family for what he has rightly possessed. Oh my God! Why don’t you and retrieve the excavators?
If you pack the Jubilee House with 1, 115 opportunists, what they can only do is to look for opportunities to harass innocent citizens and steal whatever they think they can grab. Cash for seats, Galamsey, Rosewood, excavators, ………….. you name it. As for this one you cannot get away with it. Return the dead man’s assets in peace! Heartless bloaks!
Who knows when he will die?? There was plans to seized every vehicle which belongs to the state.very soon you may see more but may his soul rest well.
Man are you blind with all these documents. If you don’t value your soul then follow these nation destroyers and theirs and go to he’ll. That is the agenda you want to put in place and throw dust into the eyes of the people. Continue and be deceiving yourself go in to church as a believer Christ
Oh my God what has this world turn into even in death you can’t rest peacefully God is watching us.
The most annoying part is that upon when the family showed them the document backing the claims of the vehicles being the bonafide property of the deceased they shamefullly went ahead to cease it all in the name of state property. If indeed it is a state property while doesn’t the vehicles having a government registered number plates to indicate government property in possession of an appointee. What kind of attitude is this?
Cowards in power. If you knew you had the power o do what you just did, why wait till he died? The man must have been a very tough guy when he was alive, I believe?
Whether in death or alive state property when identify will be retrieved when did he join politics and he is already entitled to cars as end of service benefits where lies his integrity
May God forgive you.
May God have mercy on you.
Hmm, may the Lord fight for the oppressed
We will exhume the body ,trial him for stealing from state. Where on earth apart from corrupted Ghana can one purchase vehicles that cheap,not even in the Good old USA or Europe
Did you even think about this post before you wrote it? Your blind loyalty in the face of facts is quite sad. I do hope you find reason before it is too late for you.
I think this people should as well know where the missing excavator are. They should go for those ones to.
So this man Batidam who claimed to so pious and preached anti-corruption couldn’t avoid putting himself into that situation where he could have avoided buying a state vehicle? he was just infected by JDM’s corruption and CREATE, LOOT and SHARE cancer.
Please be serious
May God forgive you