It appears all is set for prosecution in the case of Arthur
Paes, a Development Chief for Somey , in the Volta Region, and owner of the
plush Africa Royal Hotel at Nungua, in Accra, who has been accused of allegedly
defiling a minor since she was eight years old.

However, the accused, as at the time of filing this story,
had still not stepped foot on the shores of the country but cooling off in the
Netherlands. According to our sources, the fact that the Criminal Investigation
Department (CID) has not received any order to effect Paes' arrest for
prosecution is what seems to have stalled the progress of the case.

Last Thursday, Madam Gertrude G. Aikins, a Consultant to the
Attorney General for the Prosecution Division assured this paper in a telephone
interview that, “When he (Paes) comes into the country he would be charged and
prosecuted. The police have not seen him since the A-G advised that he should be
prosecuted so he can be in the Netherlands and say whatever he wants but this is
where the case will be trialed so let him come here and say those things”.

The former Director of Public Prosecutions at the A-G's
Department revealed to this paper that sometime last year, the A-G gave a
directive that Arthur Paes should be prosecuted in the alleged paedophile case,
but just when they were about to carry out the directive a lawyer, one Nana
Oppong sent a petition, together with an alleged self-confessed video tape,
which sought to challenge that the girl who was allegedly defiled was not a
minor.

On that basis, Madam Gertrude Aikins said she wrote a letter
dated March 8, 2012, that was addressed to the director of the CID to as a
matter of urgency, investigate the authenticity and source of the alleged video
tape.

She revealed that the State did not go ahead to prosecute
Peas because if the case had gone to Court then, the issue of the video would
have popped up and the State might not have enough grounds to continue
prosecution.

But Inspector Isaac Addai, the crack investigator handling
the case told this paper yesterday in a telephone chat that, “DOVVSU received a
directive to investigate the source of the tape on June 13, 2012, which we are
still doing. I have gone to Nana Oppong and he has agreed to give his
statement.

HE ALSO HINTED THAT UNLESS HE GOT A
WRITTEN DIRECTIVE FROM THE A-GS DEPARTMENT TO ARREST PAES, HE COULD NOT GO AHEAD
TO ARREST THE DUTCH NATIONAL.

According to the detective, he received a telephone call
from the A-G's department last Friday, July 6, this year, to arrest Paes anytime
he arrived in the country but can not carry through with the order because it
was verbal and hence needed documentation to back his action.

“When the A-G wanted us to prosecute Paes, they sent us a
letter, when they wanted us to investigate the video tape too they sent us a
letter to halt the prosecution until we have finished investigating the source
of the tape so, if we must go ahead with arrest and prosecution, it must also be
documented so that tomorrow nobody would accuse me that I acted on my own. I am
a Police man any time I get an order to arrest Paes for prosecution why not; I
shall carry through with that order without delay”, said the investigator.

Meanwhile, expectations are high, tempers are flaring,
tongues are wagging, and eyes are watching without blink to see when the A-G's
department will officially give the official green light for the alleged Dutch
paedophile to be prosecuted.