The Ranking Member on the Adhoc Committee probing the IGP leaked tape saga, James Agalga says the report of the Committee is at a draft stage awaiting validation by members.
He explained to TV3 News Duke Mensah Opoku that even though the Committee’s work has been concluded, 2024 budget-related business in Parliament has prevented members from reconvening to conclude work on it.
“The Committee has concluded the investigations, and we have a draft report which is yet to be considered by all the members of the committee. You know, per the standing orders, draft reports are subject to approval by the members of the Committee. So that is what is outstanding.
Unfortunately, we are in the budget season so all the members are caught up in their various committees and are working on budget estimates,” Mr Agalga explained.
According to the Builsa North MP, he forewarned members about the possibility of the current situation.
“I had warned that there was the need for us to act more expeditiously, so that we could have skipped the budget season. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out that way. We are hoping that as soon as majority of us are done with the estimates we can meet and adopt the report,“ he stated.
It has been over three months since the probe into the leaked tape began and the September 30, 2023 deadline for submission of report has long elapsed.
The content of the tape exposed a plot by the three officers – COP Alex Mensah, Superintendent George Asare, and Superintendent Emmanuel Eric Gyebi aided by former Northern Regional Chairman of the NPP, Daniel Bugri Naabu to remove the IGP. The objective was to facilitate an easy win for the NPP in the December, 2024 general elections.
Seven takeaways from IGP Dampare’s meeting with committee probing leaked audio
Mr Agalga assured that as soon as members are done with the committee meetings on the 2024 budget, they will reconvene.
“The report is a draft. Several changes can be made. It could even be rejected outright. In which case it has to be re-done. When we have a quorum, we will then consider the report page by page. When the majority of the members agree to adopt the report and it becomes the committee’s report, we will put it before the plenary,” the MP noted.
It would be recalled that after the content of the secret recording was made public, the Minority Caucus in Parliament called for a probe into the matter.
Speaker sets up 7-member probe committee over leaked IGP tape
The Speaker, Alban Bagbin subsequently constituted a seven-member bi-partisan committee to authenticate the content of audio recording or otherwise and submit a report to Parliament on September 10, 2023.
Per the directive of the Speaker, the terms of reference of the committee are; ascertain the authenticity of the leaked audio recording, investigate the conspiracy to remove the current IGP, investigate any other matter contained in the audio recording, recommend sanctions to persons found culpable where appropriate, make recommendations for reforms where necessary and make such other recommendations and consequential orders as the committee might deem appropriate.
The committee is made up of three members each from the Majority and Minority sides of Parliament, and a technical person. It is chaitred by Mr. Samuel Atta Akyea, MP for Abuakwa South.
The members are; Mr Patrick Yaw Boamah, NPP MP for Okaikoi Central; Madam Ophelia Mensah, NPP MP for Mfantseman; Mr Eric Opoku, NDC MP for Asunafo South, and Mr Peter Lanchene Toobu, NDC MP for Wa West.