A legal practitioner, Mr Sam Okudjeto has expressed indignation about the way and manner security agencies have been handling foreign investors and said it has the tendency of stalling the investment drive of the nation. Addressing the media to clarify the arrest and discharge of the Managing Director of Market Direct Limited (a member of the Finatrade Group) and two other workers by the police in Accra, Mr Okudjeto cautioned “the Ghanaian business community to be on guard on this kind of matter and take a stand on it”. Mr Michael Ayache, the managing director of Market Direct Ltd., and two clearing agents of the company, Isaac Quansah and Mohammed Salami were arrested on the 20th of December 2006 on a charge of “importing 15 kilograms of cocaine into the country without lawful authority”. The three spent the Christmas and New Year holidays behind bars till they were discharged by an Accra Circuit Court on 12th January 2007, after the prosecutor had withdrawn the charge of criminal offence against them. On the same day and in the same court room, a Panamanian, Gooding Baazier Ricardo Enrique, the man suspected to be behind the importation of the narcotic drug in question, was arraigned and charged for the same offence. Mr Okudjeto who is the lead counsel for Finatrade, claimed that the police were informed about the Panamanian’s actions and expressed surprise why the police should instead, arrest the three innocent people and verify the name of their company in addition, which he said “is not right”. If the police, he said, “have information about this man in the country, whom they knew was the owner of the cocaine, why was the managing director of Market Direct and his agent arrested? That is the puzzle none of us is able to understand.” He said the board of directors of Finatrade Group is yet to meet and decide on the next step of action for the disgrace the company has been dragged into. “I imported a car from Germany”, he explained, “and it came in a container, but I was not the one who put the car in the container, because I was in Ghana. I am not the one who would go to the port and clear the car because that is none of my business. I don’t even understand how it is done, so normally I would have asked a clearing agent to clear the car for me. Assuming for the sake of argument that, somebody has put something in that container, what we are doing now is that the police would come and arrest me, take me to court and put me in prison., when it is easy for them to try and find out who put the thing into the container, this is how serious the matter is”. He explained further, “It is sad for me, very, very sad for me. After fifty years of independence, to see this kind of behaviour on the part of our security agents, those we pay from our taxpayers’ money to protect us. This is very sad.” Later, he told ADM that, “Investment wise it affects the investment climate, Ghanaians are peace loving, they have smiling faces all the time, but money does not follow smiling faces, money follows a place of safety…The police must be careful about the way they treat foreigners. I am not saying if the foreigner is a criminal, we should close our eyes to it. No. That is not what I am saying …” Mr Nabil Moukarzel, Director of Finatrade Group who could not contain the embarrassment caused them said. “The three persons have suffered tremendously and our company buffeted mercilessly by these totally false allegations against us. It is unfortunate that some commentators were quick to judge us before investigations had been concluded.” He said criminal elements are trying to turn West Africa into a gateway for drug trafficking and appealed to West African governments to reinstate pre-shipment inspection from destinations suspected or known to be likely sources of dealing in narcotics. Mr. Moukarzel called on the government to put in place requisite safeguards to protect legitimate businesses from such injustice. “At a time when the nation is trying to woo foreign investors, it is imperative to be extra circumspect and cautious in such proceedings and particularly in giving publicity to allegations which are under investigation and unproven.” Accra Mail