IGP & Minister Disown ACP Boakye

More revelations on cocaine scandal
... As police chief contradicts Asibi’s assertions

Credible information available to The Chronicle suggests that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong, on Monday disowned ACP Kofi Boakye at the on-going investigations into the cocaine scandal that has rocked the nation.

The IGP is said to have told the Justice Georgina Woode Committee during an in-camera hearing that he was not given any prior notification before the holding of the meeting between ACP Kofi Boakye and the suspected drug barons in May.

The assertion of the police chief seems to sharply contradict an initial submission made before the Committee by ACP Kofi Boakye, who was recently directed to proceed on leave after he had been implicated in the ongoing investigations into the cocaine scandal.

According to our sources, the IGP informed the Committee that it was during the world cup tournament that ACP Boakye, who was then on an official assignment in Germany, told him about the said meeting with the suspected drug barons.

Another issue that came up as a revelation at Monday’s sitting was what sources close to participants at the in-camera hearing said was the acknowledgement by the IGP that he had personally met with Grace Asibi, the lady who is at the centre of the bribery accusations against some top police officers.

The paper also gathered that it emerged at the hearing that the IGP had met with Asibi at his residence during which matters relating to the ongoing drug issues were discussed. Earlier reports on proceedings of the Committee seemed to suggest that Asibi had not met the IGP before, given signals that prior to IGP’s testimony, the two had never met.

Chronicle further learnt that the meeting between Asibi and Mr. Acheampong which was facilitated by the recently promoted Commissioner of Police, Mr. Yaw Adu-Gyimah was to discuss a complaint by Asibi that her office had been ransacked by some officials from the Criminal Investigations Department of the Police Service At yesterday’s sitting, the National Security Minister, Mr. Francis Poku, also told the Committee that he was not given a prior briefing by ACP Boakye before his meeting with the suspected drug barons.

Lawyers of ACP Boakye indicated that the testimony of the National Security Minister corroborated the earlier submission of their client that he briefed the Minister after the meeting.