I Knew Nothing About Attempted Murder - Minister

Deputy Roads and Transport Minister and Member of Parliament (MP) for Krowor, Adjei Boye says his vehicle, which was alleged to be involved in the attempt on the life of Robert Bortie Bissinan, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Krowor (Nungua) constituency chairman, was parked at his house on the day of the alleged crime.

He said the vehicle had been taken from the workshop where it had been undergoing repairs for two months. It was taken to Nungua early that morning to deliver drugs at his clinic and the driver was back home by about 7:30 pm, three to four hours before the unfortunate incident occurred.


Speaking to The Chronicle in last week, Mr. Boye denied that he was being sought by the security agencies saying, "I went to the Nungua police station myself after I identified that the registration number of the car mentioned in the paper was mine. I went on my own."


The deputy minister said he knew nothing about the incident until he visited the constituency five days after the alleged crime had occurred.


The Chronicle in its story reported that the security agencies were investigating an alleged attempted murder of Mr. Bissinan, the NPP constituency chairman, in which Mr. Boye was suspected to be involved.


The reason was that the vehicle used in committing the crime belonged to his outfit.

But narrating his version of the story, Boye said he visited his constituency on November 15, two days after the alleged incident had taken place.


"I went there as I normally do and I was told that there was a funeral in town, which my assistant was attending. I went to my office adjacent to my clinic, then one of my youth organizers came with a problem and we discussed it.


"It was then that I enquired why they were not attending the funeral and he said my sister had gone there. I asked whether she went there with the party chairman (Bissinan) and other executives."


According to him, it was at this stage that his youth organizer asked him whether he (MP) was not aware of what had happened to the constituency chairman.


"And I asked him what had happened," and he said the chairman "was picked two days ago and beaten mercilessly."

He said his assistant later confirmed what the youth organizer had told him and so they decided to visit him (the chairman).


The deputy minister told The Chronicle that following that visit he informed the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Sheik I.C Quaye in Parliament about what had happened to Bissinan and they both agreed to pay him another visit.


"When I went to the office, they (office staff) asked me whether I had seen The Chronicle and they showed me the story. I said oh, I already knew about it." (That was the paper's first publication on the incident; it was dated on November 18)


"Then my bodyguard came to point out to me that the number of the vehicle mentioned in the story is ours."


Boye said he went to the Nungua police station the following day to report that his car had been linked with the crime.

"I went to the Nungua police station because, I knew since the thing happened at Nungua, the police there would be handling it. I went on my own," Boye said.


According to the deputy minister, it was at the station that the crime officer mentioned that they had wanted to arrest his assistant who had been identified as one of those who took part in the crime. They wanted him to report to the station, but since it was already 11 p.m. the officer told him to come the next day at 2:00 p.m."


But Boye said when he got to his office the following day; he received a call from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at the Accra Central Police station inviting him over.


"So I went and the Regional Crime Officer told me they wanted to see my bodyguard and my assistant. When I came I asked them to go and they went and gave statements," he added.