The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Friday endorsed the decision of the party's Vetting Committee to disqualify Mr Nkrabeah Effah-Darteh from the party's flag bearer race. Announcing its position to the press in Accra Friday, the committee said the aspirant lied to the Vetting Committee and had also been illegally using the title 'Captain Retired'. According to documents made available to the press, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Berekum had been prohibited from using his military title in civilian life and had been served a reminder from the military authorities on that because he had not served the required 10 years in the military to allow him to use the title. According to a confidential military report sought by the NEC of the NPP concerning the proceedings of the Court Martial which sat on April 14, 1981 and convicted the disqualified aspirant, he was tried on four counts, three of which he pleaded guilty to. The aspirant initially submitted his filled forms but advertently failed to answer a critical question that required an aspirant to indicate whether he had ever been convicted of any criminal offence, state the details and nature of the charge. When the committee queried him about the omission, he could not provide any tangible answer but later confessed that he had been convicted of criminal offences which he claimed were mutiny and misconduct. He later claimed that he was cleared of the count of mutiny and only convicted on the count of misconduct. He said the PNDC government released him from the Nsawam Prison where he was serving a 23-month imprisonment with effect from February 5, 1981. The then military government also gave him an absolute pardon and restored him to his position as Lieutenant. Based on that, the Vetting Committee of the party disqualified the aspirant. But he appealed against the decision and to convince itself, the NEC of the party requested for the records of the former Captain from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF). A copy of the 1981 charge sheet of the Military Court Marshal that convicted him at the Nsawam Prison stated the charges as follows: Count one: "Endeavouring to persuade Sgt Kwame Adarkwa to join him to overthrow the lawful authority in the forces." Count Two: "Between the months of January and February 1981, making diverse preparations with intent to overthrow the lawful authority in the Armed Forces." Count Three: "Between the months of January and February 1981, acting in breach of his allegiance to the Commander in Chief by preparing to overthrow the lawful government of the Republic of Ghana through unlawful means.” Count Four: "At Arakan Barracks, Accra, on the 5th day of February 1981, he was found to be in possession of 27 rounds of 9mm ammunition and a pistol magazine." According to the National Chairman of the NPP, Mr Peter Mac Manu, the records from the GAF indicated that the disqualified aspirant pleaded guilty to the second, third and fourth counts and was sen¬tenced to dismissal with disgrace from the GAF and 23 months imprisonment with effect from February 1981. The chairman said the records from the GAF showed that after the PNDC coup d'etat of December 31, 1981, the sentence "was mitigated by the then military government, as a result of which then Capt John Nkrabea Effah-Darteh was honourably released from the GAF with effect from 4th August, 1983". A letter from the Public Relations Department of the GAF, dated July 20, 1994 and signed by Colonel M. Akowuah, the then Director of Public Affairs of the GAF, reminded Mr Nkrabea Effah-Darteh, who was then working with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, that "It had been observed that since your release from the service in 1983 you have often referred to yourself as a "retired Army Captain" and also used the abbreviation form of rank 'Captain' and acronym 'rtd' in your name." "You have manifested this in one form or another, including some newspaper publications, one of such being 'The Independent’ of July 13 to 1994. By Art 15.20 (1-5) of AFR Vol. 1, you are not permitted to use your rank, having not completed the required 10 years of officer service with the colours. You are, therefore disqualified from using the rank of Captain in civil life. " Source: Daily Graphic