The Vice Chairman of the committee probing the leaked audio recording on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), James Agalga, has hinted Dr George Akuffo Dampare is likely to be invited for hearing because he has been cited by one of the witnesses.
“If we don’t do that we may be unfair to him,” Mr Agalga stated on TV3‘s The Keypoints on Saturday, September 2 as the matter came up for discussion.
The discussion on the weekend news analysis programme hovered around the two-time appearance of outgoing Director of Operations of the Ghana Police Service George Alex Mensah, who accused the IGP of being behind the taping of the conversation.
“My intel suggests that what was used to tape the conversation was done by the current IGP,” the Commissioner of Police (COP) told the committee on Friday, September 1.
“He sent some people to do it after which he went for it. So, the tape from my intel is with the IGP, he caused it to be leaked.
“So, if this committee wants the tape, the right person to call before this committee is the Inspector General of Police.”
Speaking on this call by COP Alex Mensah, Mr Agalga, who is Ranking Member of the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament, described the issues raised by the senior police officer as “very serious”.
He said all those who have been mentioned will be given the opportunity.
The Builsa North Member of Parliament (MP) pointed out, however, that “the committee has not sat down to say that we will be calling the IGP”.
“We haven’t taken a decision to invite the IGP yet. We may when we sit.”
But he stressed that it will fly in the face of natural justice if Dr Akuffo Dampare is not invited by the committee.
This follows similar sentiments expressed by the Chairman of the ad hoc committee, Samuel Atta Akyea, after Friday’s sitting.
He had told journalists that the committee will consider hearing the IGP.
“It is a likelihood and it’s all got to do with how the evidence is evolving, so it is a likelihood because the facts we should place before plenary should not be shoddy, it’s not one-sided so it is a likelihood,” he indicated when asked by journalist.
“If the presence of the individual will give relevance to the fact-finding exercise, we will do that.”