Three senior officers who were named in a video that was leaked and reportedly involved in a scheme to have Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr. George Akuffo Dampare removed have had their interdiction by the Ghana Police Service suspended.
According to a statement from the police dated September 7, the decision to put the three police officers' interdiction on hold was made to ensure that it wouldn't interfere with the current Parliamentary investigation.
The statement further stated that after the parliamentary investigation was finished, the Service would start disciplinary actions against the officers.
"After the ongoing investigation by Parliament is over, the Police Administration would launch disciplinary proceedings into the behavior of COP/Mr George Alex Mensah, Supt/Mr Emmanuel Eric Gyebi, and Supt/Mr George Lysander Asare in connection with the leaked audio tape."
The Police administration has paused their interdiction so as not to jeopardize the ongoing investigation.
COP On Thursday, September 7, Alex Mensah, Superintendent George Asare, and Superintendent Emmanuel Eric Gyebi were detained after a leaked video revealed their involvement in a plot to remove the IGP with former NPP Northern Regional Chairman Bugri Naabu.
In his testimony before the legislative committee, COP Mensah charged Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, the IGP, with poor leadership of the Police Service.
He asserted that the morale of police officers had decreased as a result of the IGP's leadership.
COP Mensah also acknowledged his involvement in politics and his efforts on behalf of a political party, though he declined to say which one.
He may be heard saying that the IGP must be fired in order to guarantee the New Patriotic Party (NPP) will win the 2024 elections in the leaked recording, which is consistent with his remarks.
COP Mensah, however, vehemently denied the tape's veracity, asserting that it had been altered and did not adequately capture the initial conversation with Daniel Bugri Naabu.
When the IGP came before the committee, Supt Asare charged him with planning the audio recording and pointed out that some of the tape had been altered.
But on Monday, a new tape surfaced, and the inquiry into the audio leak changed course.
After COP George Mensah and Supt. George Asare testified that some of the original recording in evidence was altered, this information came to light.
After Monday's proceedings, Samuel Atta Akyea, the chairman of the parliamentary committee looking into the incident, gave this information to the media.
He said that based on the facts presented, the committee would decide whether or not to convene an in-camera session.
The committee would listen to the recording and read the transcript to decide what to do next, the chairman continued.
He further stated that they might invite all parties to the case to attend a hearing with their attorneys so that witnesses might be cross-examined and cross-fired.
The committee may arrange an in-camera hearing for delicate issues, but it will also be wary of any ramifications for national security.
"Assuming the recording is genuine, we have the advantage of it. The committee members will have to listen to the recording and study the transcript in order to get ideas for the following steps. Do we first gather everyone involved, together with their attorneys, for cross-examination and cross-firing while paying close attention? Will it be our turn then, once they've finished?
Are there certain topics that should not be made public because they could compromise national security? Therefore, we will convene a protracted internal or in-camera hearing before trying to make sense of it. We are going to proceed in this manner. The fact that this is not an easy task and that not all information should be presented to the public will serve as a powerful guiding principle for us.
While the committee considers its options, the meeting has been postponed indefinitely. The discovery of a brand-new tape has given the investigation a unique turn.