The former director general (technical) of the Ghana Police Service, COP George Alex Mensah, has accused the national police chief IGP George Akuffo Dampare of engineering the secret recording of a conversation he had with a politician.
A committee of Parliament is investigating a leaked tape concerning discussions about the possible removal of the IGP by three police officers including COP Mensah and the former northern regional chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) Daniel Bugri Naabu.
Appearing before the Atta Akyea-led committee, COP Mensah claimed that his “intelligence” reveals that IGP Dampare assigned some people to record the conversation in the Osu office of Naabu.
“My intel suggests that what was used to tape the conversation was done by the current IGP,” COP Mensah said on his second appearance before the committee in Parliament on Friday (1 September). “He sent people to do it and after which he went for it. He caused it to be leaked.”
“If this committee wants the tape, the right person to call before this committee is the IGP,” he added.
COP Mensah said he can provide evidence to his claim in-camera.
According to him, he regrets having such sensitive conversation with the NPP bigwig, adding that: “I thought I was speaking to a well-respected confidential friend but I didn’t know I was speaking to such a person.”
I did the recording, says Naabu
Meanwhile, appearing before the committee on Monday (28 August), Naabu revealed that he did the recording of the leaked tape.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, set up the committee for a thorough forensic audit to be carried out to unravel those behind the tape.
Naabu confirmed that the conversation took place between himself and three other police officers including COP Mensah in his office near the Osu Police Station.
He identified the voices on the tape as commander Asare, COP Mensah and Superintendent Gyebi. He told the ad-hoc committee of Parliament that the officers hatched the plot to remove the national police chief because they claim his actions were not in favour of the governing NPP and could cause the defeat of the party in the 2024 elections.
Naabu told the lawmakers that he recorded the conversation as evidence.
“The reason for recording this tape is that they are coming to tell me to go and tell the president [Nana Akufo-Addo] something… and it is either I don’t go to tell the president and then I and my party suffer for it and if I also go to talk to the president, it is good to tell him the right thing and since I cannot keep everything they were telling me at that point, it was very good to record, and I know the president, [if] I go and tell him something, and it turns [out] not to be true, next time he won’t give me respect,” Naabu said.
“I didn’t do it myself but I requested somebody who knows how to do the recording to come and do it for me. I didn’t use a phone I went to the mall and got this ordinary tape,” he added.
Meanwhile, the government has strongly refuted allegations of a clandestine scheme to oust the Inspector General of Police prior to the 2024 general elections.
“The government has no plan to sack the IGP and we are sure that nothing will be allowed to disturb the peace from now till 2024,” the Interior Minister Ambrose Dery said when the tape was leaked in July.
Asaase Radio 99.5 broadcasts on radio via 99.5 in Accra, 98.5 in Kumasi, 99.7 in Tamale, 100.3 in Cape Coast and on our affiliates Bawku FM 101.5 in Bawku, Beats FM 99.9 in Bimbilla, Somua FM 89.9 in Gushegu, Stone City 90.7 in Ho, Mining City 89.5 in Tarkwa and Wale FM 106.9 in Walewale
Tune in to broadcasts online: www.asaaseradio.com, Sound Garden and TuneIn
Follow us on Twitter: @asaaseradio995
Live streaming on facebook.com/asaase99.5. Also on YouTube: AsaaseXtra.
Join the conversation. Call: 020 000 9951 or 059 415 7777. Or WhatsApp: 020 000 0995.
#Asaase321
#TheVoiceofOurLand
#WeAreHere
#WeLoveOurLand
#SafeMotorway4All
