…As Supt. Gyebi, Asare, Mensa make U-turn
The Director, Cybercrime Unit at the CID Headquarters, Superintendent Eric Gyebi, has made a shocking U-turn on his role in the alleged plot to remove the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, at the ongoing parliamentary probe.
Superintendent Gyebi, who publicly, under oath, denied ever speaking to Bugri Naabu on Superintendent George Asare’s phone or having any form of engagement with Bugri Naabu in the matter, has changed his story.
He admitted before the Committee an in-camera hearing on Tuesday October 10, 2023 that indeed, the claim by the former Northern Regional Chairman of the a New Patriotic Party (NPP) as captured on the tape was true and that he spoke to him on phone over the matter.
According to sources at the Committee, Superintendent Asare, also admitted he called Supt. Gyebi and gave the phone to Bugri Naabu contrary to Asare’s earlier assertion that Bugri Naabu, never spoke with Gyebi on his phone.
Commissioner of Police (COP) George Alex Mensah, also in a recorded video shared to his followers on social media to announce his intention to contest the upcoming NPP primaries, noted he was a card-bearing member of the NPP contrary to what he told the committee.
The retired police chief, had told the committee he was only a sympathizer of the governing party.
Bugri Naabu, who spoke to the media after Tuesday’s hearing said all the officers on the tape have confessed their conversation with him before the committee.
The former NPP Northern Regional chairman, said the in-camera hearing of the committee probing the leaked tape plotting the removal of the IGP, has corroborated his part that the audio recording was not doctored.
According to him, both Superintendent Eric Gyebi and COP Asare, both witnesses in the ongoing probe had allegedly admitted their voices and details of the conversation on the new tape which was played at the in-camera hearing.
Speaking to the Media on Wednesday, Naabu said, “both police officers, contrary to their earlier position during the public hearing, admitted to the full details of their engagement with me as captured on the tape.”
“You were all there when they told the committee in public that I am a liar but now before the committee they have all, including Gyebi, admitted their voices on the tape.
He added, “I want to tell you all that as a chief I don’t tell lies I was in my office and then these people came to say the things they said. I felt it was important for the state security and for the NPP government to know what they were doing in there, so I taped them and went to give the tape to the president.”
Naabu, also the paramount chief of Namong in the North East Region said, “Now they have all admitted that it is their voices so I want to clear my name that I am not a liar. And if they come out to challenge anything now, we will play what happened in there for all Ghanaians to hear.”
Wednesday’s in-camera hearing had the legal representatives of IGP, who was absent, Bugri Naabu, Commissioner of Police George Alex Mensah and Superintendent George Asare.
The legal team of the IGP at the conclusion of Wednesday’s hearing also expressed confidence that the true facts of the case had been established.
Addressing the media, Kofi Bentil, spokesperson of the IGP’s legal team, said the committee admitted that the tape that went viral was not edited but was simply a shorter version of the conversation that transpired.
The committee, chaired by Samuel Atta Akyea, NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa South, deputised by James Agalga, a National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Builsa North, is investigating the veracity of an alleged leaked audio plotting the removal of Dr Dampare.
On Tuesday, 11 July 2023, a leaked audio recording, allegedly involving a Police Commissioner and a politician discussing a plot to remove IGP Dr Dampare from office before the 2024 general election was circulated.
Consequently, the Minority Caucus in Parliament called for a probe into the matter.
Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, constituted a seven-member bi-partisan committee to authenticate the audio or otherwise and report back to Parliament the first week the House convenes from recess, but the probe is still ongoing.
The committee is made up of three members each from the Majority and Minority sides of Parliament, and a technical person.
The members are; Patrick Yaw Boamah, NPP MP for Okaikoi Central; Ophelia Mensah, NPP MP for Mfantseman; Eric Opoku, NDC MP for Asunafo South, and Peter Lanchene Toobu, NDC MP for Wa West.
Dr Isaac Lartey Annang, a Lawyer and a human rights activist, is the technical person appointed by Speaker Bagbin to assist the committee.
