The Court of Appeal will on January 30 affirm or deny the request of former Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Kwasi Nyatakyi, to have Anas Aremeyaw Anas, an investi­gative journalist, to unmask before testifying in open court.

The High Court in Accra had, earlier on May 17, 2024, ordered the journalist to unmask in court.

But state prosecutors appealed against the high court decision at the Court of Appeal.

When the case was called at the High Court on Tuesday (Jan 14, 2025), State Attor­ney, Mr Baffour Gyau, told the court presided over by Justice Ruby Aryeetey that the prosecution was awaiting the decision of the Court of Appeal.

The case has been adjourned to February 13 for its continuation.

The former GFA president, Nyantakyi, came under heavy criticism after the contents of Anas Aremeyaw Anas’s investigative piece titled Number 12 were aired in Ghana on June 6, 2018.

The video captured Nyantakyi allegedly taking $65,000 (approx­imately £48,000) from an under­cover reporter pretending to be a businessman.

The video, among other things, also captured top officials of the football association allegedly taking bribes to influence the invitation of players to the national team, to influence the duration of playing time offered to some players, and the selection of unfit players and referees to participate in games.

Number 12 also exposed more than 100 referees allegedly taking bribes to manipulate the outcomes of games in favour of certain teams.

Following the first screening of the video, which attracted more than 3,000 people, many called for the complete dissolution of the GFA and the immediate resignation of its embattled president, Kwesi Nyantakyi.

Nyantakyi, who was also the first vice president of the Confed­eration of African Football (CAF), eventually resigned from all foot­ball-related positions shortly after the video was aired.

FIFA subsequently suspended Nyantakyi and later banned him for life.

The former GFA president was charged with fraud and corruption over his involvement in Anas’s investigative exposé, Number 12.

Mr Nyantakyi, who is also facing the charge of conspiracy to commit fraud with the former Northern Regional representative of the GFA, Abdulai Alhassan, has pleaded not guilty.

The two football administrators have been admitted to their previ­ous bail sum of GH¢1 million each with three sureties, to be justified.

They are also required to report to the case investigator until its final determination.

Credit| Graphic Online