President of IMANI-Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has argued that the allegations being made by the embattled Commissioner of Police, Alex Mensah, against the Inspector General of Police, George Akuffo Dampare, may as well be concocted.
According to him, taking into consideration the confession made by COP Mensah that he had long harboured an ambition to become IGP, it is quite clear whatever statement he is making against the IGP is tainted with prejudice and must be taken with a pinch of salt.
He said the enquiry need not to continue on those allegations but must remain focused on the core reason why it was established.
“The reason for this enquiry is to establish certain facts; whether the voices are authentic, whether some of the comments that have been made can be ascribed to the said persons – the witnesses. And so to a very large extent they have accepted that most of the comments are theirs.
“Well, I can understand we want to seek forensic experts to find whether certain aspects of the tape have been doctored, that may well be in the rights of everyone, but for me I am struggling to understand what is happening here.
“This is a gentleman who says that look, he had nursed feelings about being named the IGP and then because of that he’s had all these, for lack of a better word, some sort of hatred towards the person of the IGP. Now there has been a leaked tape involving him and then he’s making other accusations that the IGP is a very bad leader, he’s at crosshairs with the military establishment, I mean, I’m struggling to understand how we should be admitting some of these comments or commentary from the same person who has haboured these deep cynicism and deep hatred for the person of the IGP.
“Most of all this could be concocted really and maybe we should spend time looking into those matters but for me I think this matter is pretty straight forward. He’s accepted that his voice is on the tape, he made those very serious accusations and the matter for me ends there,” he said on Top Story on Joy FM.
COP Mensah, Bugri Naabu and two others are facing parliament’s ad-hoc committee for their role in a leaked audio tape where they were heard allegedly scheming to get the IGP out of office.
Background
On July 25, the Speaker of Parliament named Abuakwa South MP, Samuel Atta-Akyea as the chairperson of a 7-member ad-hoc committee to probe the recently leaked controversial audio in which voices are heard clandestinely plotting to oust the Inspector General of Police.
The viral audio, which revealed a supposed conspiracy by a senior police officer and a leading member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to remove the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare from office, resulted in a debate on the floor of Parliament with the Minority calling for a forensic audit.
Subsequently, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Bagbin proposed the setting up of the Special Committee.
Mr. Bagbin asked the committee to submit its report by September 10, 2023.
