Mr Kwame Gyan, Lawyer for Dr George Akuffo Dampare, Inspector General of Police Tuesday requested for the three implicated senior police officers to be excused from the proceedings during his client’s testimony, in the ongoing leaked tape probe.
Appearing before Parliament’s seven-member bi-partisan Committee public hearing, Mr Gyan explained that the request for the excuse of the implicated officers would not influence the proceedings and affect the integrity of the investigation, thereby reflecting his commitment to a thorough and unbiased investigation.
“It also underscores the importance of transparency and accountability, a fair and impartial examination of the evidence,” Mr Gyan said.
Dr Dampare, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), had been invited by the Committee over some alleged events surrounding a leaked tape and the allegations made by two cited officers involved.
Mr Dampare’s testimony, when furnished to the Committee, would serve as a pivotal role in the ongoing investigations.
On Tuesday, July 11, 2023 a leaked audio recording allegedly involving a Police Commissioner and a politician, discussing a plot to remove IGP Dampare from office went into circulation.
Consequently, the Minority Caucus in Parliament called for a probe into the leaked tape.
Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, therefore, constituted a seven-member bi-partisan Committee to authenticate the audio and probe into the secret recording of an alleged plot to remove IGP Dampare from office, ahead of the 2024 general election.
The Committee was, therefore, charged to report back to the House on September 10, 2023, but that had not been successful, due to the ongoing investigation.
The leaked tape revealed a plot by three officers namely; Mr George Alex Mensah, Commissioner of Police (COP); Mr George L. Asare, Superintendent of Police, Mr Emmanuel Eric Gyebi, Superintendent of Police and Mr Daniel Bugri Naabu, a former Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to remove the IGP from office.
All four witnesses have appeared before the seven-member Parliamentary Committee probing the leaked tape.
Meanwhile, during COP Mensah’s appearance before the Committee, he accused the IGP of mismanaging the Police Service.
He alleged that the IGP’s leadership had led to a decline in morale among police officers.
COP Mensah also admitted to being involved in partisan politics and working in the interest of a Political Party, although he did not disclose the Party’s name.
His comments, aligned with similar sentiments expressed in the leaked tape, where he was heard saying that the IGP must be removed to ensure victory for the ruling NPP in the 2024 elections.
Nonetheless, COP Mensah strongly denied the authenticity of the tape, claiming that it had been doctored and did not accurately reflect the original conversation with Mr Bugri Naabu.
On his part, Superintendent Asare also noted that portions of the tape were doctored and accused the IGP of plotting the audio recording when he appeared before the committee.
While Superintendent Gyebi denied any knowledge of Mr Bugri Naabu before the Committee, Mr Bugri Naabu cited all three police officers as his accomplices, when he testified before the Committee as the first witness in the ongoing probe.
The Committee is made up of three members each from the Majority and Minority sides of Parliament, and a technical person. Parliament’s seven-member bi-partisan Committee is chaired by Mr Samuel Atta Akyea, Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa South, with Mr James Agalga, MP for Builsa North as the Vice-Chairman.
Among the members are Mr Patrick Yaw Boamah, NPP MP for Okaikwei Central; Madam Ophelia Mensah, NPP MP for Mfantseman; Mr Eric Opoku, NDC MP for Asunafo South and Mr Peter Lanchene Tuobu, NDC MP for Wa West as members of the Committee; and Dr Isaac Lartey Annang, a lawyer and a human rights activist, is a technical person appointed by Mr Bagbin.
By Elsie Appiah-Osei
GNA
