Page 24: Daily Graphic, May 6, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE National Security Secretariat is to investigate the operations of all destination inspection companies (DICs) in the country and explore grounds for returning their functions to the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS).
The investigation is to establish any anomalies associated with the operations of the DICs.
Other subjects for the investigation include the operation of the tracking system which was instituted to ensure that transit goods actually got to their destinations and reports that a lot of the transit goods were being offloaded in Kumasi and other parts of the country.
The effect of such offloading of goods within the country is a huge loss of revenue to the state. Further to that, the nature and quality of the goods so left in the country cannot be guaranteed because they are exempt from internal checks.
As a first step, the National Security Secretariat has requested for a copy of an agreement purported to have been signed between the previous government and Ghana Link Network on Sunday, December 28, 2008 to examine its contents and the obligations of the state under it.
The government’s decision to go into these matters stems from the agitation by some CEPS officials and other stakeholders that CEPS was gradually being stripped of its major functions as a security agency. Currently, its border patrol and inspection functions have been taken away from it, with the inspection duties being handled by the DICs.
What CEPS has been left with now is revenue collection, which its workers say personnel of the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) could easily do on behalf of the state.
They also raised concerns over the lack of transparency in the bidding process leading to the extension of the contracts to the DICs and wondered why the state invested so much in acquiring offices, gadgets and the training of personnel of CEPS to take over destination inspection, only for the state to turn around against its own policy and that of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
According to CEPS sources, under the WTO schedule of agenda, CEPS was to take over destination inspection by January 2009, while Gateway Services Limited (GSL), which was contracted in 2000 to do the work of destination inspection, was expected to wind up in 2010.
Another source within National Security also confirmed that as a result of the agitation, the National Security Secretariat had been tasked to re-examine the whole system, including vetting the companies and advising the government accordingly.
It said the National Security Co-ordinator, Lt Col Larry Gbevlo-Lartey (retd), had sent a letter to the Commissioner of CEPS asking for a copy of the agreement between it and Ghana Link Ltd which resulted in the formation of the Ghana Customs Inspection Company.
It said the government wanted to block every revenue leakage as much as possible and also ensure that Ghanaians did not suffer unduly from certain policies which might see traders shifting their expenses to consumers.
In addition to the GSL which began operating in the country in 2000, three other DICs, namely, BIVAC International, Inspection and Control Services and Ghana Link Network, have also been in operation.
The DICs were initially engaged to do price qualification and classification of goods on behalf of the government, build price database for CEPS and subsequently transfer the know-how to CEPS at the end of their contract terms so that it could take over those responsibilities.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
6 Cops interdicted
Page 3: Daily Graphic, May 6, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
SIX policemen, including the second in command at the Panthers Unit of the Police Headquarters, have been interdicted on the orders of the acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mrs Elizabeth Mills-Robertson.
The six have been charged with alleged acts of extortion and loss of weapons.
Five of them are being held on charges of extortion and they include Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) John Tawiah Kuadey, who is the Deputy Head of the Panthers Unit.
ASP Kuadey and his accomplices, Corporal Frederick Amanor Agyemfra, Lance Cpl Francis Botchway, both of the Panthers Unit, Detective Constable Jerome Amuzu and Detective Lance Cpl Owusu Boateng, both of the CID Headquarters, are currently in custody at the Cantonments Police Station.
The sixth policeman, Detective Constable Maxwell Ahadzi of the Anyiwarese District Police Command, is in custody at the Ho Police Station where he is being held for the loss of four single-barrelled guns which were exhibits in a case he was investigating.
The Director of Police Public Affairs, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kwesi Ofori, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that ASP Kuadey and his group were being investigated along with five civilians for their alleged involvement in a drug deal.
He mentioned the five civilians as Ganiyu Alhassan Danjumah, John Peprah, Eric Agyemang, Francis Obeng and Clement Agbaglo.
He said the affected officers allegedly invaded a house at Nii Boi Town in Accra on April 28, 2009 to arrest the five civilians who were alleged to be transacting business in cocaine.
DSP Ofori said the policemen arrested four members of the gang but the fifth, Clement Agbaglo, alias Sky, managed to escape with two parcels of a substance suspected to be cocaine and an amount of $44,000.
According to him, Sky was later arrested at his hideout.
He when Sky was arrested, he disclosed that he had met ASP Kuadey at a location where he had allegedly given the officer $15,000, being his share of the $44,000.
He said the acting IGP, therefore, ordered the immediate arrest, detention and interdiction of the policemen, including ASP Kuadey, to assist in the investigations.
With regard to Constable Ahadzi, DSP Ofori said he claimed he left the weapons behind a cupboard in the general office, contrary to instructions that he should make entries and keep them in the armoury awaiting a court order.
He explained that three of the weapons were retrieved by officials of the Department of Wildlife in a case of hunting in a prohibited area.
He said the fourth weapon was also an exhibit in a case of attempted murder before the court.
DSP Ofori said the court had given a restitution order last week that the guns be given to the Department of Wildlife, only for Ahadzi to claim that they could not be found.
He said initially the Volta Regional Police Commander, DCOP Rose Bio-Atinga, had ordered the detention of all the policemen at the police station and added that Constable Ahadzi then owned up and said he had left the guns behind the cupboard in the general office and gone on his annual leave.
DSP Ofori said the acting IGP had made it clear that no policeman or woman was above the law and would be treated as such when found culpable in any offence.
That way, he said, personnel of the service would begin to sit up and do their work in a more professional manner.
Story: Albert K. Salia
SIX policemen, including the second in command at the Panthers Unit of the Police Headquarters, have been interdicted on the orders of the acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mrs Elizabeth Mills-Robertson.
The six have been charged with alleged acts of extortion and loss of weapons.
Five of them are being held on charges of extortion and they include Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) John Tawiah Kuadey, who is the Deputy Head of the Panthers Unit.
ASP Kuadey and his accomplices, Corporal Frederick Amanor Agyemfra, Lance Cpl Francis Botchway, both of the Panthers Unit, Detective Constable Jerome Amuzu and Detective Lance Cpl Owusu Boateng, both of the CID Headquarters, are currently in custody at the Cantonments Police Station.
The sixth policeman, Detective Constable Maxwell Ahadzi of the Anyiwarese District Police Command, is in custody at the Ho Police Station where he is being held for the loss of four single-barrelled guns which were exhibits in a case he was investigating.
The Director of Police Public Affairs, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kwesi Ofori, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that ASP Kuadey and his group were being investigated along with five civilians for their alleged involvement in a drug deal.
He mentioned the five civilians as Ganiyu Alhassan Danjumah, John Peprah, Eric Agyemang, Francis Obeng and Clement Agbaglo.
He said the affected officers allegedly invaded a house at Nii Boi Town in Accra on April 28, 2009 to arrest the five civilians who were alleged to be transacting business in cocaine.
DSP Ofori said the policemen arrested four members of the gang but the fifth, Clement Agbaglo, alias Sky, managed to escape with two parcels of a substance suspected to be cocaine and an amount of $44,000.
According to him, Sky was later arrested at his hideout.
He when Sky was arrested, he disclosed that he had met ASP Kuadey at a location where he had allegedly given the officer $15,000, being his share of the $44,000.
He said the acting IGP, therefore, ordered the immediate arrest, detention and interdiction of the policemen, including ASP Kuadey, to assist in the investigations.
With regard to Constable Ahadzi, DSP Ofori said he claimed he left the weapons behind a cupboard in the general office, contrary to instructions that he should make entries and keep them in the armoury awaiting a court order.
He explained that three of the weapons were retrieved by officials of the Department of Wildlife in a case of hunting in a prohibited area.
He said the fourth weapon was also an exhibit in a case of attempted murder before the court.
DSP Ofori said the court had given a restitution order last week that the guns be given to the Department of Wildlife, only for Ahadzi to claim that they could not be found.
He said initially the Volta Regional Police Commander, DCOP Rose Bio-Atinga, had ordered the detention of all the policemen at the police station and added that Constable Ahadzi then owned up and said he had left the guns behind the cupboard in the general office and gone on his annual leave.
DSP Ofori said the acting IGP had made it clear that no policeman or woman was above the law and would be treated as such when found culpable in any offence.
That way, he said, personnel of the service would begin to sit up and do their work in a more professional manner.
“Speed up registration of Sim Cards”
Page 48: Daily Graphic, May 5, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE National Security Secretariat has directed mobile phone operators in the country to speed up the registration of Sim Cards to help identify customers who patronise their services.
“It is unacceptable in these times for anyone to be able to buy a sim card off the streets which cannot be traced to a specific person,” it said.
The acting Director of Public Information of the secretariat, Superintendent David Sena Eklu, said the registration of sim cards would enable the security agencies to identify those who used the technology to commit crimes.
Speaking in an interview on ‘concerns of kidnapping and other serious crimes such as ‘Sakawa’ and advanced fee fraud (419), he said if the mobile phone sim cards sold in Ghana and other countries in the sub-region were registered, the owners or users could be appropriately identified to facilitate investigations.
He said security was a need-driven effort which warranted a continuing analysis of the security situation, as well as of the predisposition of existing institutions to handle any emerging security threats.
“Our analysis of these emerging developments will dictate the required response and, therefore, the training methods, procedures and requisite equipment to deploy. We assure you that the national security agencies are on top of the situation,” he stated.
According to Supt. Eklu, the security challenges that the drilling of oil was likely to pose to the country had been anticipated and had informed policy formulation, including lessons from other oil producing countries such as Nigeria, Cameroun and Equatorial Guinea.
He observed that kidnapping had become a real threat all over the West African sub-region and said Ghana was positioned to address the challenges.
Supt. Eklu, however, said more education in personal security was required to enable the population appreciate the threat to take protective measures.
“We also advise individuals who have reasonable grounds to believe that their personal security is threatened to contact the police immediately,” he entreated the public.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE National Security Secretariat has directed mobile phone operators in the country to speed up the registration of Sim Cards to help identify customers who patronise their services.
“It is unacceptable in these times for anyone to be able to buy a sim card off the streets which cannot be traced to a specific person,” it said.
The acting Director of Public Information of the secretariat, Superintendent David Sena Eklu, said the registration of sim cards would enable the security agencies to identify those who used the technology to commit crimes.
Speaking in an interview on ‘concerns of kidnapping and other serious crimes such as ‘Sakawa’ and advanced fee fraud (419), he said if the mobile phone sim cards sold in Ghana and other countries in the sub-region were registered, the owners or users could be appropriately identified to facilitate investigations.
He said security was a need-driven effort which warranted a continuing analysis of the security situation, as well as of the predisposition of existing institutions to handle any emerging security threats.
“Our analysis of these emerging developments will dictate the required response and, therefore, the training methods, procedures and requisite equipment to deploy. We assure you that the national security agencies are on top of the situation,” he stated.
According to Supt. Eklu, the security challenges that the drilling of oil was likely to pose to the country had been anticipated and had informed policy formulation, including lessons from other oil producing countries such as Nigeria, Cameroun and Equatorial Guinea.
He observed that kidnapping had become a real threat all over the West African sub-region and said Ghana was positioned to address the challenges.
Supt. Eklu, however, said more education in personal security was required to enable the population appreciate the threat to take protective measures.
“We also advise individuals who have reasonable grounds to believe that their personal security is threatened to contact the police immediately,” he entreated the public.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Sale of government bungalows subject of 42 court cases
Page 35: Daily Graphic, May 4, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A PRIVATE Legal Practitioner, Mr Bright Akwettey, has indicated that government lands and bungalows said to have been sold to some public officials and private individuals are the subject of some 42 cases pending before the courts.
He said those who claim to have paid for them did so at their own risk.
According to him, anyone who bought either public lands or government bungalows under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration did so at their own risk, and commended the government for deciding to review the alleged sales.
Mr Akwettey was speaking in an interview on government’s intention to review those transactions and the rebuttal by former Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing Minister, Alhaji Abubakar Saddique Boniface, that it was only the Supreme Court that could review the sales.
A former State Attorney and Prosecutor, Mr Akwettey, said while it was a fact that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration of former President J. J. Rawlings started the process, he indicated that it was halted when the GaDangme Council protested, warranting the Lands Commission, under the leadership of Dr Ohene Larbi, to enter into negotiations with the Council before the 2000 elections.
Unfortunately, he said, the process was halted when the NPP won the elections, and explained that when the government’s attention was drawn to it, the response was that it was an earlier policy which the government would pursue.
He referred to a July 12, 2002 advertisement in the Daily Graphic, in which the GaDangme Council cautioned the NPP government about the sale of the bungalows and served notice to the government to initiate legal process to restrain government from selling off GaDangme lands acquired compulsorily for public purposes and to recover possession of all such lands.
He said as of now, there were 42 of such cases currently pending before the courts.
He said the sale of the government bungalows and lands to private individuals and companies was a breach of Articles 1 (1) and 20 (6) of the Constitution as well as of the Oath of Minister of State. Therefore, anybody who bought bungalows or lands should be disqualified from holding public office.
Article 1 (1) of the 1992 Constitution provides that, “The sovereignty of Ghana resides in the people of Ghana in whose name and for whose welfare the powers of government are to be exercised in the manner and within the limits laid down in this Constitution,” while Article 20 (6) states that, “Where the property is not used in the public interest or for the purpose for which it was acquired, the owner of the property, immediately before the compulsory acquisition, shall be given the first option for acquiring the property and shall, on such re-acquisition refund the whole or part of the compensation paid to him as provided for by law or such other amount as is commensurate with the value of the property at the time of the re-acquisition”.
Part of the Oath of Office of Ministers of State states that, “I will, to the best of my judgement, at all times when required, freely give my counsel and advice for the good management of the public affairs of the Republic of Ghana;...”
According to him, the use of the bungalows by civil servants and public officers was of benefit to all Ghanaians, while the sale of bungalows to private companies and individuals benefited only those private companies and individuals and not the general public.
He said Article 295 of the Constitution defines Public Interest as used in Article 20 (6) as “public interest includes any right or advantage which enures or is intended to enure to the benefit generally of the whole of the people of Ghana”.
Mr Akwettey said from all indications, the NPP government did not work in the public interest, but “was gang-raping public lands and property under its principle of property-owning democracy”.
He served notice to take the individual beneficiaries to court to nullify all the sales, saying “there is too much impunity in the system”.
Mr Akwettey said the NPP government could have enhanced the housing sector by creating communities or estates such as was done by Dr Nkrumah, with the creation of the Ringway Estates, Labone and Kanda, among others, while the Acheampong regime created the Dansoman and Teshie-Nungua Estates.
He said there was nothing wrong for the NPP government to have taken tracts of land to develop into estates and sell them to public officials if it so wished.
“But to sell government bungalows and lands to themselves and their cronies is unpardonable, and each one of them should be recovered. It is a gamble the beneficiaries took and they must pay the price for it,” he added.
Mr Akwettey said it was for such abuse of the system that he initiated a suit for the removal of the late Chief Justice, Mr Justice George Acquah, after he allegedly compromised with the land around the Rangoon Avenue at 37 Military Hospital area by the Lands Commission, resulting in his frustration of cases brought against the Lands Commission.
He said the NPP government was by those decisions throwing public officials to landlords to exploit and certainly bound to affect productivity.
According to him, if the colonial masters and subsequent governments had pursued such policies, there would not have been any public lands or bungalows for ministers and other officials to live in.
“I lived in a government bungalow for 21 years, and if my colleagues and I, who were in public service then, had bought those properties, would there be any government bungalows for public officials to live in?” He asked.
Mr Akwettey said the sale of the International Students Hostel to individuals was a sad commentary on the performance of the NPP government.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A PRIVATE Legal Practitioner, Mr Bright Akwettey, has indicated that government lands and bungalows said to have been sold to some public officials and private individuals are the subject of some 42 cases pending before the courts.
He said those who claim to have paid for them did so at their own risk.
According to him, anyone who bought either public lands or government bungalows under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration did so at their own risk, and commended the government for deciding to review the alleged sales.
Mr Akwettey was speaking in an interview on government’s intention to review those transactions and the rebuttal by former Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing Minister, Alhaji Abubakar Saddique Boniface, that it was only the Supreme Court that could review the sales.
A former State Attorney and Prosecutor, Mr Akwettey, said while it was a fact that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration of former President J. J. Rawlings started the process, he indicated that it was halted when the GaDangme Council protested, warranting the Lands Commission, under the leadership of Dr Ohene Larbi, to enter into negotiations with the Council before the 2000 elections.
Unfortunately, he said, the process was halted when the NPP won the elections, and explained that when the government’s attention was drawn to it, the response was that it was an earlier policy which the government would pursue.
He referred to a July 12, 2002 advertisement in the Daily Graphic, in which the GaDangme Council cautioned the NPP government about the sale of the bungalows and served notice to the government to initiate legal process to restrain government from selling off GaDangme lands acquired compulsorily for public purposes and to recover possession of all such lands.
He said as of now, there were 42 of such cases currently pending before the courts.
He said the sale of the government bungalows and lands to private individuals and companies was a breach of Articles 1 (1) and 20 (6) of the Constitution as well as of the Oath of Minister of State. Therefore, anybody who bought bungalows or lands should be disqualified from holding public office.
Article 1 (1) of the 1992 Constitution provides that, “The sovereignty of Ghana resides in the people of Ghana in whose name and for whose welfare the powers of government are to be exercised in the manner and within the limits laid down in this Constitution,” while Article 20 (6) states that, “Where the property is not used in the public interest or for the purpose for which it was acquired, the owner of the property, immediately before the compulsory acquisition, shall be given the first option for acquiring the property and shall, on such re-acquisition refund the whole or part of the compensation paid to him as provided for by law or such other amount as is commensurate with the value of the property at the time of the re-acquisition”.
Part of the Oath of Office of Ministers of State states that, “I will, to the best of my judgement, at all times when required, freely give my counsel and advice for the good management of the public affairs of the Republic of Ghana;...”
According to him, the use of the bungalows by civil servants and public officers was of benefit to all Ghanaians, while the sale of bungalows to private companies and individuals benefited only those private companies and individuals and not the general public.
He said Article 295 of the Constitution defines Public Interest as used in Article 20 (6) as “public interest includes any right or advantage which enures or is intended to enure to the benefit generally of the whole of the people of Ghana”.
Mr Akwettey said from all indications, the NPP government did not work in the public interest, but “was gang-raping public lands and property under its principle of property-owning democracy”.
He served notice to take the individual beneficiaries to court to nullify all the sales, saying “there is too much impunity in the system”.
Mr Akwettey said the NPP government could have enhanced the housing sector by creating communities or estates such as was done by Dr Nkrumah, with the creation of the Ringway Estates, Labone and Kanda, among others, while the Acheampong regime created the Dansoman and Teshie-Nungua Estates.
He said there was nothing wrong for the NPP government to have taken tracts of land to develop into estates and sell them to public officials if it so wished.
“But to sell government bungalows and lands to themselves and their cronies is unpardonable, and each one of them should be recovered. It is a gamble the beneficiaries took and they must pay the price for it,” he added.
Mr Akwettey said it was for such abuse of the system that he initiated a suit for the removal of the late Chief Justice, Mr Justice George Acquah, after he allegedly compromised with the land around the Rangoon Avenue at 37 Military Hospital area by the Lands Commission, resulting in his frustration of cases brought against the Lands Commission.
He said the NPP government was by those decisions throwing public officials to landlords to exploit and certainly bound to affect productivity.
According to him, if the colonial masters and subsequent governments had pursued such policies, there would not have been any public lands or bungalows for ministers and other officials to live in.
“I lived in a government bungalow for 21 years, and if my colleagues and I, who were in public service then, had bought those properties, would there be any government bungalows for public officials to live in?” He asked.
Mr Akwettey said the sale of the International Students Hostel to individuals was a sad commentary on the performance of the NPP government.
2 OFFICERS INTERDICTED * For professional misconduct
Front Page: Daily Graphic, May 4, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
TWO senior police officers, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Kofi Danso Adei-Acheampong and Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Abanga, have been interdicted for professional misconduct.
Additionally, ACP Adei-Acheampong, who is the Hohoe Divisional Police Commander, and Chief Inspector Abanga of the same division, have been referred to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters in Accra to be investigated for possible prosecution.
They were accused of collecting GH¢6,000 from one Ernest Adzabo, a Tema-based businessman, and handed over to him exhibits retrieved from a destroyed Indian hemp farm in the Volta Region without taking any statement from him and also, not requesting of any ownership proof of the items.
The two senior police officers have also been accused of not mentioning to the court that the police had retrieved some exhibits from the original nine suspects, as well as releasing eight of them without consultation with the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), with whom the police organised a joint operation to destroy Indian hemp farms in the Hohoe Division last month.
During the exercise, six million Indian hemp plants on a 90-acre of farm land were destroyed.
Items retrieved from the farm included two gasoline generators, one water pumping machine, two compressor machines, two weighing scales, four water hoses, seven unregistered locally manufactured guns, including one which was fully loaded, a number of live ammunition, gun powder, 69 decoplast containers, two boxes of pyraquet, one bag of rice, two bags of sugar and a quantity of dried leaves believed to be Indian hemp.
Sources at the Police Headquarters told the Daily Graphic that the action against the two officers was ordered by the acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mrs Elizabeth Mills-Robertson, to underscore her abhorrence for corrupt and unprofessional conduct and to instil discipline as part of measures to redeem the sunken image of the Ghana Police Service.
The source said on April 26, 2009, a whistleblower called the NACOB to notify its officials of the release of the exhibits to someone believed to be a financier of the Indian hemp plantations.
The sources said when the Police Administration’s attention was drawn to it, Mrs Mills-Robertson despatched a team, including the Executive Secretary of NACOB, ACP Robert Ayalingo, the Volta Regional Police Commander, DCOP Rose Bio-Atinga, and a member of the Police Intelligence and Professional Standards (PIPS) Bureau to visit the Hohoe Divisional Police Command to investigate the allegation.
According to the sources, ACP Adei-Acheampong allegedly admitted releasing the items to the alleged owners with the explanation that the owners denied cultivating the Indian hemp farms and was, accordingly, advised by the investigator, Chief Insp. Abanga to release the items, including the unlicensed weapons.
They said when asked about the identity and addresses of those who claimed ownership of the items, ACP Adei-Acheampong was unable to provide any as the police failed to take statements from them.
The sources said the visiting team was also informed that Chief Insp. Abanga proceeded on leave a day after the items were handed over to Adzabo, while eight suspects were also released on bail, with the exception of one person, Kwame Agbeko, alias Bob Rasta, who was remanded by the court.
Mrs Mills-Robertson told the Daily Graphic at the weekend that the conduct of the two police officers was highly unprofessional and embarrassing.
She was hopeful that other police officers would not repeat such mistakes, but would follow laid-down procedures in handling of suspects and exhibits.
She said she had already indicated to the personnel that nobody would be allowed to tarnish the image of the service, no matter their rank.
“If you will punish a junior officer for an offence, why not a senior officer. Senior officers should be leading by example,” she added.
Commenting on the issue, ACP Ayalingo said NACOB had adopted a strategy dubbed “Operation-Search-and-Destroy” of Indian hemp plantations at this time of the year, which he described as the cultivation season.
He said 12 more locations have been identified in other parts of the country and pledged that NACOB would destroy them before the rains set in.
ACP Ayalingo appealed to district assemblies to liaise with the local police and assist in identifying Indian hemp plantations.
He said it would be to the credit of any District Chief Executive or district assembly helping to successfully fight the drug war in their areas of jurisdiction.
Story: Albert K. Salia
TWO senior police officers, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Kofi Danso Adei-Acheampong and Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Abanga, have been interdicted for professional misconduct.
Additionally, ACP Adei-Acheampong, who is the Hohoe Divisional Police Commander, and Chief Inspector Abanga of the same division, have been referred to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters in Accra to be investigated for possible prosecution.
They were accused of collecting GH¢6,000 from one Ernest Adzabo, a Tema-based businessman, and handed over to him exhibits retrieved from a destroyed Indian hemp farm in the Volta Region without taking any statement from him and also, not requesting of any ownership proof of the items.
The two senior police officers have also been accused of not mentioning to the court that the police had retrieved some exhibits from the original nine suspects, as well as releasing eight of them without consultation with the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), with whom the police organised a joint operation to destroy Indian hemp farms in the Hohoe Division last month.
During the exercise, six million Indian hemp plants on a 90-acre of farm land were destroyed.
Items retrieved from the farm included two gasoline generators, one water pumping machine, two compressor machines, two weighing scales, four water hoses, seven unregistered locally manufactured guns, including one which was fully loaded, a number of live ammunition, gun powder, 69 decoplast containers, two boxes of pyraquet, one bag of rice, two bags of sugar and a quantity of dried leaves believed to be Indian hemp.
Sources at the Police Headquarters told the Daily Graphic that the action against the two officers was ordered by the acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mrs Elizabeth Mills-Robertson, to underscore her abhorrence for corrupt and unprofessional conduct and to instil discipline as part of measures to redeem the sunken image of the Ghana Police Service.
The source said on April 26, 2009, a whistleblower called the NACOB to notify its officials of the release of the exhibits to someone believed to be a financier of the Indian hemp plantations.
The sources said when the Police Administration’s attention was drawn to it, Mrs Mills-Robertson despatched a team, including the Executive Secretary of NACOB, ACP Robert Ayalingo, the Volta Regional Police Commander, DCOP Rose Bio-Atinga, and a member of the Police Intelligence and Professional Standards (PIPS) Bureau to visit the Hohoe Divisional Police Command to investigate the allegation.
According to the sources, ACP Adei-Acheampong allegedly admitted releasing the items to the alleged owners with the explanation that the owners denied cultivating the Indian hemp farms and was, accordingly, advised by the investigator, Chief Insp. Abanga to release the items, including the unlicensed weapons.
They said when asked about the identity and addresses of those who claimed ownership of the items, ACP Adei-Acheampong was unable to provide any as the police failed to take statements from them.
The sources said the visiting team was also informed that Chief Insp. Abanga proceeded on leave a day after the items were handed over to Adzabo, while eight suspects were also released on bail, with the exception of one person, Kwame Agbeko, alias Bob Rasta, who was remanded by the court.
Mrs Mills-Robertson told the Daily Graphic at the weekend that the conduct of the two police officers was highly unprofessional and embarrassing.
She was hopeful that other police officers would not repeat such mistakes, but would follow laid-down procedures in handling of suspects and exhibits.
She said she had already indicated to the personnel that nobody would be allowed to tarnish the image of the service, no matter their rank.
“If you will punish a junior officer for an offence, why not a senior officer. Senior officers should be leading by example,” she added.
Commenting on the issue, ACP Ayalingo said NACOB had adopted a strategy dubbed “Operation-Search-and-Destroy” of Indian hemp plantations at this time of the year, which he described as the cultivation season.
He said 12 more locations have been identified in other parts of the country and pledged that NACOB would destroy them before the rains set in.
ACP Ayalingo appealed to district assemblies to liaise with the local police and assist in identifying Indian hemp plantations.
He said it would be to the credit of any District Chief Executive or district assembly helping to successfully fight the drug war in their areas of jurisdiction.
Two arrested for alleged fraud
Page 32: Daily Graphic, May 2, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE police have arrested two persons for allegedly defrauding a clearing agent of nearly GH¢20,000.
The suspects, Lloyd Mohammed, alias Smith, a Liberian, and Samuel Acheampong Boateng, a Ghanaian, are currently in custody pending further investigations.
Five others, who the police identified only as Yaw George, Kwasi Nyantakyi, Amponsah, Richard and Ocloo, are currently at large.
The Head of the Commercial Crime Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent Maame Yaa Tiwaah, told the Daily Graphic that the complainant, Mr Martin Appiah, who is a clearing agent, was said to have had a call from someone who identified himself as Kwasi Nyantakyi claiming to be in the United Kingdom and also a member of the victim’s church in Ghana.
She said Nyantakyi allegedly informed the victim that he was working with a horse racing company in the UK that needed a drug, Horsetalic Power, which was found in Ghana.
According to her, Nyantakyi informed the complainant that a colleague of his by name Smith, would be arriving in Ghana from London to purchase the drugs.
Supt Tiwaah said Nyantakyi allegedly directed the victim to see Amponsah, who was said to be based in Koforidua and sold the drugs.
She said when the victim went in the company of two witnesses to meet Amponsah in Koforidua, they were directed to meet Richard at New Tafo, also in the Eastern Region.
She said at New Tafo, Richard provided two bottles of the purported Horsetalic Power at a cost of GH¢2,000 to the victim after Smith testified that the contents were indeed genuine and requested for 10 cartons.
Supt. Tiwaah said the victim could only purchase five cartons of the purported Horsetalic power at a cost of GH¢17,500 from Richard.
According to her, after paying for the drugs and on their way to Accra, Smith excused himself for a brief moment but was neither seen nor heard from again.
She said the victim reported the matter to the police for investigations.
She said on April 25, 2009, the police had information that Smith, who was allegedly on the wanted list of the police for similar offences, was at a nightclub.
Supt. Tiwaah said Smith was arrested at the nightclub when the police swooped in there.
Later, she said, the victim led the police to arrest Boateng in Koforidua.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE police have arrested two persons for allegedly defrauding a clearing agent of nearly GH¢20,000.
The suspects, Lloyd Mohammed, alias Smith, a Liberian, and Samuel Acheampong Boateng, a Ghanaian, are currently in custody pending further investigations.
Five others, who the police identified only as Yaw George, Kwasi Nyantakyi, Amponsah, Richard and Ocloo, are currently at large.
The Head of the Commercial Crime Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent Maame Yaa Tiwaah, told the Daily Graphic that the complainant, Mr Martin Appiah, who is a clearing agent, was said to have had a call from someone who identified himself as Kwasi Nyantakyi claiming to be in the United Kingdom and also a member of the victim’s church in Ghana.
She said Nyantakyi allegedly informed the victim that he was working with a horse racing company in the UK that needed a drug, Horsetalic Power, which was found in Ghana.
According to her, Nyantakyi informed the complainant that a colleague of his by name Smith, would be arriving in Ghana from London to purchase the drugs.
Supt Tiwaah said Nyantakyi allegedly directed the victim to see Amponsah, who was said to be based in Koforidua and sold the drugs.
She said when the victim went in the company of two witnesses to meet Amponsah in Koforidua, they were directed to meet Richard at New Tafo, also in the Eastern Region.
She said at New Tafo, Richard provided two bottles of the purported Horsetalic Power at a cost of GH¢2,000 to the victim after Smith testified that the contents were indeed genuine and requested for 10 cartons.
Supt. Tiwaah said the victim could only purchase five cartons of the purported Horsetalic power at a cost of GH¢17,500 from Richard.
According to her, after paying for the drugs and on their way to Accra, Smith excused himself for a brief moment but was neither seen nor heard from again.
She said the victim reported the matter to the police for investigations.
She said on April 25, 2009, the police had information that Smith, who was allegedly on the wanted list of the police for similar offences, was at a nightclub.
Supt. Tiwaah said Smith was arrested at the nightclub when the police swooped in there.
Later, she said, the victim led the police to arrest Boateng in Koforidua.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Ten police recruits dismissed - For using fictitious documents
Page 32: Daily Graphic, May 1, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
TEN recruits of the Winner Police Training School have been dismissed and handed over to the Winneba police for prosecution.
Four of the dismissed recruits were due to pass out on Tuesday, May 5, 2009 while the remaining six were in the junior squad.
They were dismissed after an audit revealed that they used fictitious documents to gain admission to the training school.
The four, who were due to pass out next Tuesday, are all females and have been identified as Pricilla Owusu Frimpong, Akosua Konadu, Solace Franklina Tublu and Bernice Bonney.
The other six, all males, were named as Bernard Allotey, Benjamin Antwi, Richard Kwadwo Abrokwa, Baffour Awuah, Augustine Opoku and Augustine Amankwah.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Samuel Asiedu-Okanta, Officer Commanding the Winneba Training School, told the Daily Graphic that the conduct of the 10 recruits was criminal hence the decision to hand them over to the Winneba police for prosecution.
He said the suspects were found out during routine checks by the school as part of the process to vet their results and school certificates.
The Winneba District Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Francis Yiribaare, told the Daily Graphic that the suspects had been charged for forgery of official documents, possession of forged documents and altering official documents.
Story: Albert K. Salia
TEN recruits of the Winner Police Training School have been dismissed and handed over to the Winneba police for prosecution.
Four of the dismissed recruits were due to pass out on Tuesday, May 5, 2009 while the remaining six were in the junior squad.
They were dismissed after an audit revealed that they used fictitious documents to gain admission to the training school.
The four, who were due to pass out next Tuesday, are all females and have been identified as Pricilla Owusu Frimpong, Akosua Konadu, Solace Franklina Tublu and Bernice Bonney.
The other six, all males, were named as Bernard Allotey, Benjamin Antwi, Richard Kwadwo Abrokwa, Baffour Awuah, Augustine Opoku and Augustine Amankwah.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Samuel Asiedu-Okanta, Officer Commanding the Winneba Training School, told the Daily Graphic that the conduct of the 10 recruits was criminal hence the decision to hand them over to the Winneba police for prosecution.
He said the suspects were found out during routine checks by the school as part of the process to vet their results and school certificates.
The Winneba District Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Francis Yiribaare, told the Daily Graphic that the suspects had been charged for forgery of official documents, possession of forged documents and altering official documents.
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