Police apologise to Finatrade

Page 25: Daily Graphic, February 25, 2010.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Police Administration has rendered an unqualified apology to the Finatrade Group of Companies and its subsidiary, Market Direct Company, for any embarrassment caused them when some officials of the company were arrested for allegedly importing 15 kilogrammes of cocaine into the country without lawful authority in December 2006.
It acknowledged that the officials were falsely accused of indulging in the unlawful importation of narcotic drugs through the Tema Port on December 20, 2006.
“The Ghana Police Service hereby makes an unqualified retraction of the false accusations made against the said group of companies, their directors and employees,” the Director of Public Affairs of the Police Service, DSP Kwesi Ofori, stated in an interview with the Daily Graphic yesterday.
The Managing Director of Market Direct Ltd, Mr Michael Ayache, and two clearing agents of the company, Isaac Quansah and Mohammed Salami, were arrested on December 20, 2006 on a charge of importing 15 kilogrammes of cocaine into the country .
The three spent the Christmas and New Year holidays behind bars till they were discharged by an Accra circuit court on January 12, 2007 after the prosecutor had withdrawn the charge of criminal offence against them.
DSP Ofori explained that the publicity of the false accusation had not been intended to harm or tarnish the image or reputation of the company.
He said the Police Administration had conceded the embarrassing situation in which it placed the management of Finatrade with the publication after their arrest and, “therefore, retract the said publication”.
According to him, “the service further wishes to state that any harm that the said false accusation might have done to the image and reputation of the Finatrade Group of Companies, their directors and employees is deeply regretted”.
DSP Ofori explained that the publicity associated with the arrest of the directors had been an indispensable aspect of police and civilian partnership through which the police received useful information in the performance of their statutory duties fighting drug-related crime.