Commissioner of Police (COP) George Alex Mensah, Superintendent Emmanuel Eric Gyebi, and Superintendent George Lysander Asare were interdicted for their involvement in the leaked tape allegedly plotting the ousting of the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
Their interdictions were revoked within 24 hours after sparking public controversy. People tagged Dr. George Akuffo Dampare as masterminding the interdiction because the three officers involved in the matter were planning his removal.
But appearing before the committee investigating the tape, the IGP, Dr. Akuffo Dampare said he recused himself from the matter because the issue was directly about him, leaving the Police Council chaired by the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to take the disciplinary action that were meted out to the officers.
The revocation of their interdiction, according to the IGP, was something he knew nothing about.
But Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini, says the IGP’s non-involvement in the disciplinary action taken against the three officers is an irresponsibility on his part.
According to the MP, it was the responsibility of the police chief to have instituted an internal inquiry into the matter whether he was directly involved or not, to carry out the interdiction meted out to the officers in question since the constitution does not bar him.
He was speaking with Alfred Ocansey on The KeyPoints on TV3 Saturday, September 16, 2023.
“…And again I had issues with the interdiction and revocation of the interdiction and how all of that were managed. I think that there, I fault to some extent, the IGP and my reason for faulting him, even was made stronger when he appeared before the committee and made the point that, because perhaps he was involved in the issue, he kind of detached himself from what was going on.
“And that for me sparked some level of irresponsibility. He is still the IGP and I would have thought that when the tape became a public matter of discussion, he would have instituted an inquiry within the regulations of the Police Service, whether the tape was discussing him or not, he was still the IGP and should have instituted an inquiry based on that inquiry, an interdiction could now have been issued to these people but the interdiction in my view came a little bit late,” he explained.
Background
The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin constituted a 7-member committee to probe a leaked tape which contained voices of senior police officers allegedly plotting to remove the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, from his position.
The audio, which was recorded in the Accra office of a former Northern region chair of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) says the IGP’s actions is a possible hindrance to the party’s chances of the breaking the ‘8’, the reason he should be ousted for a ‘party man’ to be instated to help champion their cause.
A committee was composed to look into the matter with Mr. Atta Akyea as chair. However, Prof. Ransford Gyampo of the University of Ghana thinks he has not been able to discharge his duties adequately with fairness and integrity and should be reshuffled.
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