Atta Akyea slams police administration for earlier interdiction of COP Alex Mensah, others

Chairman of the ad hoc committee looking into the leaked audio recording on the plot to oust the Inspector General of Police (IGP) has descended heavily on the Ghana Police Service for an earlier decision to interdict some three senior officers following their evidence in witness before the committee.

The decision was, however, rescinded barely 24 hours later.

Speaking in a telephone interview with Media General‘s Duke Mensah Opoku over the weekend, Samuel Atta Akyea said the decision was tantamount to evidence-gagging.

“I am very glad that the [Ghana] Police Service’s realized that what they attempted to put out that people who are testifying in a Parliamentary inquiry should be interdicted,” he said.

“It was unfortunate because at the end of the day somebody might even say that it’s tantamount to evidence gagging and intimidating and blackmailing witnesses so if they thought it wise that they should suspend the interdiction to abide [by] the outcome of the parliamentary inquiry, it’s all the wisdom of the moment.

“It is good for everybody.”
The three senior officers initially interdicted were George Alex Mensah, a Commissioner of Police (COP), who is also the Service’s outgoing Director-General for Operations, George Lysander Asare, a Superintendent, and Emmanuel Eric Gyebi, another Superintendent.

“The interdiction is to make way for disciplinary proceedings into their conduct in line with Police Service regulations,” the initial statement from the Service said.

But its overwrite statement read: “In order not to prejudice the ongoing probe, the Police Administration has suspended their interdiction.”

It, however, noted that they will “commence disciplinary proceedings into their conduct upon completion of the ongoing probe by Parliament”.

-3news.com