Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia, General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress, has asked the editor of the Daily Searchlight newspaper to retract an “untrue, malicious” and “has no merit” publication in three days or meet him in court. Asiedu Nketia, aka General Mosquito, says while a publication in the Daily Searchlight newspaper of Friday 17 September, 2010 accuses him of covering up a visa fraud, all he did when his attention was drawn to a petition by a group claiming to have been swindled by one Mr. Sampson Atto Ampah, former NDC chairman of Dome –Kwabenya Constituency and some persons in the Office of the Vice-President, was to instruct the Deputy National Organizer of the NDC to advise the petitioners to report the matter to the police since criminal cases fall outside the scope of petitions provided for under the NDC constitution. A statement issued on behalf of the NDC General Secretary by the Director of Communication, Mr. James Asante, says “the story is untrue, malicious, has no merit and must be treated with the contempt it deserved.” “According to the petitioners, they unsuspectingly paid some monies to Mr. Atto Ampah who promised to secure them visas to travel to the United States of America. As it turned out to be by their narration, they had been swindled. “The NDC General Secretary instructed the Deputy National Organizer to advise the petitioners to report the matter to the police since criminal cases fall outside the scope of petitions provided for under the NDC constitution. He further stated that his office is not an extension of the law enforcement agency. “The General Secretary wishes to place on record that there had been several complaints of unidentified people having used his name, and the Party’s name in an attempt to defraud innocent citizens. In all these cases, he had encouraged them to report the matter to the Police.” The statement said the actions taken by the General Secretary in all the instances are enough proof that he is a believer in the law and an abhorrent of criminal conduct. “Honorable Asiedu Nketia does not condone crime nor engage in cover-ups as being alleged in the publication. Common sense dictates that if the NDC General Secretary were an accessory to crime and cover-ups he would have sat on such cases.” While calling the publication “a poisonous calculation deliberately plotted, rehearsed and meant to tarnish his hard-earned reputation”, the statement said the Editor of the Daily Searchlight must retract “this malicious and mischievous publication within three days or be prepared to meet him in court to substantiate his allegations.” Myjoyonline.com/Ghana