General News of Sunday, 29 April 2012Source: citifmonline he Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako Jnr, is optimistic the petition to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged inciting statements by the Member of Parliament for Assin North, Kennedy Agyapong, will not fly.

The Ghana Coalition for the International Criminal Court (ICC) this week petitioned the ICC to investigate alleged “genocidal and ethnic-cleansing” comments made by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) legislator. He was detained for three days at the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and was bailed later after he was charged with treason felony, attempted genocide and terrorism.

Mr. Baako Jnr said since Ghana’s laws and the judiciary for that matter are functioning well, it was absurd to send the case to the ICC, although the international court’s public relations outfit has confirmed they may look into the petition.

The veteran editor declared that The Hague-based ICC will trash the case.

“The petition to the ICC was for comic relief,” the editor said on Joy FM’s News File programme. “It has no standing; it won’t fly.”

He added: “The petition was dead on arrival and it won’t fly. We’re not a failed State. It’s normal for ICC to say they’ll look into it, but they will decline jurisdiction because it’s being prosecuted here in Ghana.”

A former Attorney General, Ayikoi Otoo, who is among the legal team of the embattled lawmaker, has earlier told Citi News the petition will be fruitless.**