The Member of Parliament for Korle Klottey, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, was referring to one of the famous allegations against her father, the late former President Jerry John Rawlings, that her alleged boyfriend’s head was shaved bald by soldiers with a broken bottle.
Her alleged lover, Selassie O’Sullivan Gentu, claimed in a statement to the Home Office when applying for asylum in the UK that he was assaulted by soldiers after breaking off a relationship with the young Dr Zaneter Agyeman Rawlings in 2000.
“I was taken to the castle, the seat of government. I was dragged out of the van and beaten again, with old rusty knives and then shaved with a broken bottle. I was told that the president had ordered them to bring me a lock of my hair. I was also told that he had ordered them to kill me and throw it in the sea. I know that my hair was collected, but I don’t know if it was actually delivered to the president.”
“I was interrogated about my relationship with Zanetor and how many times I had slept with her. I was beaten many times during my detention. I was asked if I knew anything about the Rowling family’s assets (their properties and buildings) and I replied that I knew nothing. The guards claimed that Zanetor had told me some secrets and wanted to know how much I knew. Corporal Budu claimed that things would not go as planned because my mother had spoken about my abduction on television, but that they could pursue me to the country I was fleeing to and kill me,” Selassie wrote in a five-page statement given to the UK Home Office.
Senator Korle Clottey who spoke on the matter for the first time in an interview with Accra-based GHOne TV on June 27, 2024, categorically stated that the incident had nothing to do with his father.
She narrated how the allegations hit her hard because she was very young and had no opportunity to tell the truth to Ghanaians.
She said she had severed ties with King Selassie I at the time the incident occurred, adding that the incident was over a land dispute.
“My father had nothing to do with it. From what I heard, there was a land dispute and the military was involved. We weren’t even friends at the time. It was long after I’d gone my own way and my father had gone his own way. So it was actually a bit strange, but it was about politics and I think it was the perfect story for the time.
“That really bothered me because I felt quite wronged at the time because the story wasn’t true and there was no room for the real story to be told because no one wanted to hear it at the time. Plus, I was young at the time and I was doing a bit of ‘Cruyff’ on the side. So for me it was a bit devastating, actually.”
Dr Agyeman Rawlings added that the allegations had a psychological impact on her and contributed to shaping the way she conducted her political activities.
“That’s one of the reasons why I became so politically active, and that’s one of the experiences that really shaped my behavior as a public figure, because I feel like I can be a decent person on the path to where I want to get. I can choose to disagree with people and not share the same views as people, but going down the path of lying and degrading people is something I’m totally against.”
Watch the video of her remarks below.
Dr Zaneter Agyeman Rawlings has denied dating rumors that circulated when she was younger…#StarChat translator #StarChat #GHOneTV pic.twitter.com/aZiWflwItn
— GHOne TV (@ghonetv) June 28, 2024
Source: ghanaweb.com
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