Accra, Aug. 29, GNA - Colonel Isaac Akuoko, Executive Secretary of the Narcotics Control Board now on leave, on Tuesday said he had no knowledge about how the "ACP Kofi Boakye Tape" came into the custody of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB).
Testifying before the Georgina Wood Committee investigating the disappearance of 77 parcels of cocaine from a shipping vessel, MV Benjamin in Tema, he said the tape was dropped in the offices of NACOB from an intelligence source.
He said the tape came to NACOB through the operations people and he cannot put a finger on the person, who drew his attention to the recording when it came to NACOB.
"As to who dropped it, I have no idea and I cannot not put a finger as to who drew my attention to the tape in the office," he said. Col Akuoko said NACOB is an intelligence organ that depended upon intelligence to perform its function. "These intelligence information come in from so many sources and these sources included drops and letters in all forms."
He said in this particular case the intelligence source was in the form of a drop and so he did not know who was behind the recording and how the recording was done.
Giving a genesis of how he become associated with the tape recording of a meeting in the house of Assistant Commissioner of Police Kofi Boakye, the Director- General Police Operation now on leave, with some suspected drug barons, he said it all started in May 2006 when he was investigating issues relating to MV Benjamin.
He said in the course of the investigating the MV Benjamin issue, the recording of a meeting on the tape discussing the importation of drugs and other drug related matters came in the custody of NACOB. Col Akuoko said he informed the then Security Coordinator, now Minister of National Security, Mr Francis Poku, and the Minister of The Interior, Albert Kan-Dapaah about the said tape and promised to keep them informed after anyalsing the information on it.
He said he also mentioned the said tape to Mr Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko,
Executive Director, Food and Drugs Board, a member of the Governing Board, who had shown interest in the welfare of the members of NACOB. Col Akuoko said he later left to Benin to attend a United Nations Conference on drugs, and shortly after his return from the said conference he was asked to proceed on leave.
He said because he was asked to proceed on leave, he was not able to hand over the tapes to the two Ministers when he came back form the trip.
Col Akuoko said because he had mentioned the tape to Mr Agyarko before leaving for the conference, Mr Agyarko approached him and expressed interest in listening to the tape.
He said because of the interest expressed by Mr Agyarko in the tape, he later asked Mr. Ben Ndego, the Director of Operations to send the tape to him.
Asked if he had listened to the tape? He said he listened to only a portion of it estimating the time to about only five minutes. Col Akuoko said he chose to listen to the five minutes portion because a staff had drawn his attention to a part of the recording that talked about a shake up at NACOB.
He said he could not listen to the whole tape because he was preparing to travel to Benin and was expecting to listen to it on his return after it had been analysed by the people at Operations. Col Agyarko said he did not know if there was more than one tape in circulation and he did not know if Mr Agyarko ever returned the tape. A Committee member asked Col Akuoko, who received intelligence reports that came to NACOB, to which he replied that intelligence reports always came to their custody in two forms, the formal and informal.
He said the formal reports in the form of letters were received by him while the informal ones in the form of telephone calls and drops were received by Mr Ndego.
On the issue of the MV Benjamin Col Akuoku said on Friday April 21, 2006, Mr Ndego came and told him that he had received intelligence from their international partners, who had indicated that a ship called Adede II suspected to be involved in drugs had been sighted somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean.
He said because of the nature of the report they informed the National Security Co-ordinator , the Airforce and the Navy. "But along the line, the Navy said their ration was finished and could not continue with the operations, but showing my displeasure they later joined us and we continued with the operation. 29 Aug. 06
Accra, Aug. 29, GNA - Colonel Isaac Akuoko, Executive Secretary of the Narcotics Control Board now on leave, on Tuesday said he had no knowledge about how the "ACP Kofi Boakye Tape" came into the custody of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB).
Testifying before the Georgina Wood Committee investigating the disappearance of 77 parcels of cocaine from a shipping vessel, MV Benjamin in Tema, he said the tape was dropped in the offices of NACOB from an intelligence source.
He said the tape came to NACOB through the operations people and he cannot put a finger on the person, who drew his attention to the recording when it came to NACOB.
"As to who dropped it, I have no idea and I cannot not put a finger as to who drew my attention to the tape in the office," he said. Col Akuoko said NACOB is an intelligence organ that depended upon intelligence to perform its function. "These intelligence information come in from so many sources and these sources included drops and letters in all forms."
He said in this particular case the intelligence source was in the form of a drop and so he did not know who was behind the recording and how the recording was done.
Giving a genesis of how he become associated with the tape recording of a meeting in the house of Assistant Commissioner of Police Kofi Boakye, the Director- General Police Operation now on leave, with some suspected drug barons, he said it all started in May 2006 when he was investigating issues relating to MV Benjamin.
He said in the course of the investigating the MV Benjamin issue, the recording of a meeting on the tape discussing the importation of drugs and other drug related matters came in the custody of NACOB. Col Akuoko said he informed the then Security Coordinator, now Minister of National Security, Mr Francis Poku, and the Minister of The Interior, Albert Kan-Dapaah about the said tape and promised to keep them informed after anyalsing the information on it.
He said he also mentioned the said tape to Mr Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko,
Executive Director, Food and Drugs Board, a member of the Governing Board, who had shown interest in the welfare of the members of NACOB. Col Akuoko said he later left to Benin to attend a United Nations Conference on drugs, and shortly after his return from the said conference he was asked to proceed on leave.
He said because he was asked to proceed on leave, he was not able to hand over the tapes to the two Ministers when he came back form the trip.
Col Akuoko said because he had mentioned the tape to Mr Agyarko before leaving for the conference, Mr Agyarko approached him and expressed interest in listening to the tape.
He said because of the interest expressed by Mr Agyarko in the tape, he later asked Mr. Ben Ndego, the Director of Operations to send the tape to him.
Asked if he had listened to the tape? He said he listened to only a portion of it estimating the time to about only five minutes. Col Akuoko said he chose to listen to the five minutes portion because a staff had drawn his attention to a part of the recording that talked about a shake up at NACOB.
He said he could not listen to the whole tape because he was preparing to travel to Benin and was expecting to listen to it on his return after it had been analysed by the people at Operations. Col Agyarko said he did not know if there was more than one tape in circulation and he did not know if Mr Agyarko ever returned the tape. A Committee member asked Col Akuoko, who received intelligence reports that came to NACOB, to which he replied that intelligence reports always came to their custody in two forms, the formal and informal.
He said the formal reports in the form of letters were received by him while the informal ones in the form of telephone calls and drops were received by Mr Ndego.
On the issue of the MV Benjamin Col Akuoku said on Friday April 21, 2006, Mr Ndego came and told him that he had received intelligence from their international partners, who had indicated that a ship called Adede II suspected to be involved in drugs had been sighted somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean.
He said because of the nature of the report they informed the National Security Co-ordinator , the Airforce and the Navy. "But along the line, the Navy said their ration was finished and could not continue with the operations, but showing my displeasure they later joined us and we continued with the operation. 29 Aug. 06
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