Let them sit outside – IGP’s lawyer demands exclusion of witnesses at committee sitting

The lawyer for the Inspector-General of Police, Kwame Gyan, has raised concerns about the presence of COP Alex Mensah, Supt Emmanuel Gyebi and Supt George Asare at the ongoing committee hearing on the leaked IGP tape.

According to Kwame Gyan, Dr George Akuffo Dampare was not at the sitting when other witnesses were giving their testimonies and levelling allegations, hence same should be applied during the IGP’s hearing.

IGP Dampare’s lawyer further stated that the witnesses should be made to sit outside until the hearing of IGP was over.

“Our point is, way back on August 17, this committee knew that they were going to invite IGP. Now the other witnesses, four of them; three police officers and civilian came here and gave their testimonies. In some cases, very wild allegations were made, unsubstantiated and they just walked freely and walked home. The IGP was not invited to be present and today, the IGP is being invited and the witnesses who are his accusers have been notice to come in and sit here.

“Mr. Chairman, we think that in fairness, equity, good conscience, candour and all the principles set out in Article 297 of the constitution about the exercise of discretion, what we are saying is that it is unfair, unjust, inequitable for witnesses who spoke in our absence to come and sit in when we have to speak. We believe in consistency of treatment that the same way that we sat outside, they should also sit outside,” He said.

But chairman of the committee, Samuel Atta Akyea insisted that the presence of the three will not affect or influence the IGP’s testimony in any way.

Even after his vice suggested the other witnesses be sent to another office to watch the proceedings on TV, Atta Akyea stood his ground and overruled that suggestion.

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