By Elsie Appiah-Osei
Accra, Aug 31, GNA – Commissioner of Police, George Alex Mensah, one of the alleged Police Officers cited in an alleged leaked tape plotting the removal of Dr George Akuffo Dampare, IGP, Thursday said the tape is not authentic.
Appearing before the seven-member bi-partisan Committee probing into the secret recording, the Commissioner of Police (COP), formerly the Director General in Charge of Technical told the Committee that the tape had been edited and did not accurately reflect the content of the original conversation between him and Mr Daniel Bugri Naabu, the first witness.
“I can hear a voice that resembles my voice, but I cannot say it is mine because the tape is edited.
“There was no plan to remove the IGP, the tape circulating has been strongly edited,” COP Mensah said.
COP Mensah told the Committee that “the tape played today, to me, was an edited tape, I have not heard any unedited tape for me to talk about as I sit here.”
“The tape that I heard today, there are so many things in that tape that I don’t remember and there are so many things that we discussed that are not on the tape. I have met Bugri Naabu four times, and we have discussed many things some of them private things that I am not ready to discuss in public,” he said.
According to him, he had a meeting with Mr Naabu, the Paramount Chief of Namong in the North East Region in the Mamprugu Kingdom but he did not remember having any plan to remove the Inspector General of Police (IGP) because he does not remove IGPs.
Three Police Officers, COP George Alex Mensah, Superintendent George L. Asare, and Superintendent Emmanuel Eric Gyebi were cited by Mr Naabu, a former Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as the trio he engaged in the conversation at his office in Osu on Monday when he appeared before the Committee as the first witness.
On Tuesday, July 11, 2023, a leaked audio recording, allegedly involving a Police Commissioner and a politician discussing a plot to remove IGP Dampare from office circulated.
Consequently, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, constituted a seven-member bi-partisan Committee to probe into a secret recording of an alleged plot to remove Dr Dampare, IGP from office ahead of the 2024 general election.
The Committee, which has up to September 10, 2023, to report back to the House is made up of three members each from the Majority and Minority sides of Parliament, and a technical person.
The committee is chaired by Mr Samuel Atta Akyea, NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa South with Mr James Agalga, a National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Builsa North as the Vice-Chairman.
It has Mr Patrick Yaw Boamah, NPP MP for Okaikwei Central; Madam Ophelia Mensah, NPP MP for Mfantseman; Mr Eric Opoku, NDC MP for Asunafo South and Mr Peter Lanchene Tuobu, NDC MP for Wa West as members of the Committee.
While Dr Isaac Lartey Annang, a lawyer and a human rights activist, is a technical person appointed by Mr Bagbin.
GNA