Samuel Atta Akyea, Chairman of the ad hoc committee that probed the leaked tape allegedly plotting the ousting of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), had said the report submitted to Parliament by the Committee was not fit for purpose.
He said the report which was signed by all members on the Committee but him, was anaemic and lacked substance, and should not have been given any attention by Parliament.
According to the report, three senior police officers, COP Alex George Mensah, Supt., George Lysander Asare and Supt. Emmanuel Eric Gyebi, breached the regulations of the Ghana Police Service, saying the officers misconducted themselves.
It further stipulated that sanctions be given to the officers in accordance with the police disciplinary procedure.
Debating the document in Parliament Wednesday, July 10, 2024, Mr. Atta Akyea indicated that the document lacked logical foundation and should be rejected by the House.
He said admitting the report will reduce the House of Legislature into a conveyor belt, explaining that the committee was supposed to have delved deeper into some issues that came before it.
“I want to submit with the greatest of respect that this report reduced parliament and the good committee of parliament to a conveyor belt that anything they drop on it should go. You do not just listen to people who come before a committee and that will bring you to a conclusion of the matter. You delve into the matters. A committee of parliament is not a conveyor belt. They’re supposed to delve into this matter. And on that showing, this report is so anaemic.”
“It lacks substance for plenary to find, with the greatest of respect any decision on it and to uphold this report. Yes. And I urge this House to reject this report because there is no foundation of evidence for this report. And we shouldn’t make a resolution based on such an anaemic report,” he stated.
In reaction, Vice Chairman of the ad hoc committee, James Agalga noted that the comments by Mr. Atta Akyea were a gross misrepresentation of the facts of the report.
“Mr Speaker, quite a number of issues have been raised, which constitutes a gross misrepresentation of the facts and of the report…in the course of the committee’s deliberations, the chairman had the opportunity to raise the arguments that he has canvassed before this house this evening that we could not elevate conspiracy to the level of our criminal jurisprudence under section 23 of the Criminal and other Offences Act and we all agreed as a result of that intervention,” he stated.
“Mr Speaker, if you look at the report, we did not use the definition of conspiracy under section 23 of the Criminal and Other Offenses Act. We borrowed the dictionary meaning of conspiracy and dealt with the matter as such,” he added.
Meanwhile, the report was adopted by the House, and the Speaker directed that it be submitted to the President.
Parliament adopts report of Adhoc Committee that probed IGP leaked tape
