Rawlings died a criminal - Maj. Boakye-Djan

He said the attrocities committed by the former President shouldn’t have gone unpunished.

Speaking on Asaase Radio in Accra to commemorate the 42nd year uprising, he said Rawlings should have been tried before his death.

Boakye-Djan said Rawlings could be prosecuted posthumously for his actions in the second coup on 31 December 1981.

“He died as a walking criminal,” Boakye-Djan said.

“The fact that I built a democracy doesn’t mean that I could bear responsibility for somebody destroying it. Remember we handed power over to [Hilla] Limann… and I left to London to do my postgraduate course and 31 December came, I was not here but on the same day I opposed it and put down my uniform to roll it back which in the end I succeeded in doing.”

“The fact that he is dead does not exonerate him. He can be tried posthumously if people have the nerve and sincerity that what happened was wrong and should not be encouraged."

Boakye-Djan said he has no regrets about the June 4 uprising despite the wide condemnation that greeted the incident.

“In fact, I have nothing to regret,” he said, adding: “You see if you consider that we took over a country in distress right… because soldiers were in charge, does the constitution allow soldiers to rule a country? So you can’t tell me that is a normal time.”