The Police Service administration has interdicted three senior police officers in connection with the leaked audio tape being investigated by Parliament.
The three officers are being investigated over alleged plot to remove the Inspector General of Police (IGP), George Akuffo- Dampare from office.
The trio are Commissioner of Police (COP), George Alex Mensah, the Director-General of Technical, Superintendents of Police (Supt) Emmanuel Eric Gyebi and George Lysander Asare.
A statement issued in Accra yesterday, and signed by the Director of Police Public Affairs, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Grace Ansah-Akrofi sighted by the Ghanaian Times said the interdiction was to make way for disciplinary proceedings into their conduct in line with Police Service regulations.
Earlier, police wireless message on the immediate interdiction, signed by the Director-General of Police Administration, COP Christian Tetteh Yohuno, and sighted by the Ghanaian Times directed COP Mensah to hand over his weapon, uniforms and other police accoutrement and/or properties including his authority badge to the Department of Police Logistics.
It further ordered him to hand over the Command Vehicle to Director of Police Transport.
The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin in July this year, constituted a seven-member Parliamentary special committee with Samuel Atta-Akyea, Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South as Chairperson to investigate the alleged plot by the top officers and a former Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Bugri Naabu to remove the IGP.
The voices of COP Mensah as well as the other senior officers were captured on the tape discussing how to remove the IGP from office.
Earlier, Chief Bugri Naabu, who was the first person to appear before the committee, confirmed recording the audio tape that was leaked to the public.
He admitted that the conversation in the tape took place between himself and the three other police officers in his (Bugri Naabu’s) office near the Osu Police Station, in Accra.
The former Northern Regional Chairman identified the voices on the tape as that of Commander Asare, COP Mensah and Supt Gyebi.
Chief Nabu told the ad-hoc of Parliamentary Committee that the officers hatched the plot to remove the IGP because they claimed his actions were not in favour of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), and could cause the defeat of the party in the 2024 Election.
Chief Naabu said that he recorded the conversation as evidence.
Meanwhile, Supt Asare alleged before the committee that the IGP masterminded the recording of what he said was “private conversation,” with Chief Naabu.
His claim corroborates that of COP Mensah, who told the committee that his intelligence suggested that, what was used to tape the conversation was done by the current IGP.
“I also have Intel that the IGP agreed with Bugri Naabu (to do the recording) after Bugri Naabu had gone to inform the IGP that ‘somebody wants your post’ to the extent that the CV that was collected from Commissioner (Mensah) and sent to Bugri Naabu ended up with the IGP,” Supt Asare stated.
Supt Gyebi had denied calling Bugri Naabu or having conversation on the issue.
The leaked tape is still under investigations by the committee.
BY ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI
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