The Kojo Armah Committee Report - Cop blew cover of his informants

Page 3: May 22, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Kojo Armah Committee that investigated the missing cocaine at the Exhibits Room of the CID Headquarters established that Chief Superintendent Alphonse Adu-Amankwah blew the cover of ‘his informants’ before the committee organised a confrontation between Mr Daniel Kwame Frimpong and the two informants.
It indicated that the committee requested a confrontation between Mr Frimpong and the two informants to establish the truth about what really happened, since the statements of the informants were full of inconsistencies.
The committee, in its report, noted that Chief Supt Adu-Amankwah resisted the panel’s line of intended action because ‘his informants’ would be blown by such action.
It said although it agreed to Chief Supt Adu-Amankwah’s suggestion, the committee later got to know that a confrontation between Mr Frimpong and the two informants, Isaac Tenkorang, who was deported from the USA in 2004, after serving a 40-month prison sentence for drugs, and Osman Anani, had already taken place in the office of Chief Supt Adu-Amankwah’s deputy, Mr Thomas Ogba.
“At that point, the panel ruled on the need for a confrontation and the panel requested Chief Supt Adu-Amankwah to produce the ‘informants’ for the confrontation but he could not do so. They had gone underground,” it said.
The report said Osman and Isaac’s invitation and Mr Frimpong’s arrest were at the instance of Chief Supt Adu-Amankwah and not the panel.
“That informed the panel to ask Chief Supt Adu-Amankwah to bring his ‘informants’ before the panel anytime they were needed but when the need arose for them to appear again to clear some inconsistencies in the story about DSP Akagbo’s sale of cocaine through Mr Frimpong, Chief Supt Adu-Amankwah failed to produce them,” it stated.
It said Chief Supt Adu-Amankwah said “the two had gone underground and could not be traced”.
It said the panel, therefore, sought the assistance of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) to arrest the informants, and Tenkorang, the main source of the Akagbo-Frimpong story, was arrested on March 26, 2008.
According to the report, it was during interrogation later, when the panel pointed out the inconsistencies in his two statements, that Tenkorang broke down after two days of interrogation and confessed that all he had said earlier to the five-member committee and the previous statements were not true.
“We were paid to say all that we said, including the statements on February 12, 13 and 27, 2008,” it quoted Tenkorang as having told the committee.
The report said the panel, on April 2, 2008, organised a confrontation between Tenkorang and Chief Supt Adu-Amankwah on the confession and indicated that Chief Supt Adu-Amankwah appeared surprised.
It said Chief Supt Adu-Amankwah denied that he had told Nana Dokua what Tenkorang had alleged Nana Dokua told him and Osman, which led the three persons to fabricate the plot incriminating Frimpong and DSP Akagbo.
“He (Adu-Amankwah), however, confirmed that he paid the money mentioned by Tenkorang (GH¢5,000) to the three persons or ‘informants’ for the information which Tenkorang now claims is false,” it added.
It said in another confrontation, Tenkorang apologised to Mr Frimpong for falsely involving him in their plot to make money and also apologised to Chief Supt Adu-Amankwah for the false information they gave him.
It said after the confession, Chief Supt Adu-Amankwah did not challenge what Tenkorang had revealed in his confession, saying, “This surprised the panel.”
Chief Supt Adu-Amankwah, it said, however, apologised to Frimpong, stating that he had acted in good faith based on information he received, adding, “Frimpong, at that stage, broke down and wept bitterly.”
It said Nana Dokua had evaded the committee’s invitation for two weeks and that attempts to arrest her also failed.
“When she eventually appeared before the committee in the company of her lawyer, she came across as not being a very truthful witness. She was evasive and at times had to be prevailed upon to answer simple questions directly,” it said.
The report said Nana Dokua, who is the Founder and Director of DOKWEDI Youth Club, a non-governmental organisation, confirmed taking Tenkorang and Osman to see Chief Supt Adu-Amankwah to “tell their stories” and also confirmed that GH¢5,000 was paid to them, out of which she got GH¢800.
“It is noted that when Tenkorang confronted Nana Dokua, in the presence of Lawyer Boateng, he (Tenkorang) was emphatic that Nana Dokua was part of the plot.
The report said it was the committee’s belief that the allegation was a plot carefully planned to deceive the police, make money and deceive the panel in its investigations.
That, it said, succeeded in “diverting the attention of the panel in pursuing its line of investigation intended to uncover the end point of the missing cocaine saga”.
The report said on March 4, 2008, DSP Akagbo had informed the panel of an incident that happened on February 19, 2008 in his office at the CID Headquarters when he had gone to see the Director-General of the CID, DCOP Frank Adu-Poku.
It said after discussing his personal problems, such as bail and salary, with the director-general, he (Akagbo) asked permission to visit his office to take some money which he had left in his drawer before his arrest.
While in his office, the report said DSP Akagbo informed the panel that the telephone rang and because he had not been in the office for some time, he did not pick it.
It said when the phone rang again, ASP Hanson Gove, who was then with Akagbo in the office, advised him to pick the call.
“When he did, a voice told him that Chief Supt Adu-Amankwah was looking for some people at Maamobi to come and say that Akagbo had given them some drugs to sell so he should be careful,” the report noted.
The report said DSP Akagbo said his demeanour changed after the caller failed to identify himself and hung up.
It said ASP Gove asked what the matter was and he (Akagbo) told him.
“This has been confirmed by ASP Gove,” it said.
The report said DSP Akagbo, however, did not report the incident to the Director-General, CID, for immediate investigation.