NRC: Supreme Court Judge Accused

Three victims of unlawful dismissal and detention from the Police Service and the army during the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) regime yesterday appeared before the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC).

They are an ex-Inspector of Police, Alhaji Alidu Mohamed, ex-Corporal Boye Okai and ex-Sergeant Abraham Botwe both from the Ghana Armed Forces.

Ex-Inspector Mohamed said he was stationed at Bolgatanga as the head of an anti-smuggling task force in the Police Service. He said in the course of his duty two expatriates were arrested for smuggling. He said the accused persons were defended in court by lawyer Atugubah now a Supreme Court judge. Mohammed said Mr. Atugubah's action took him by surprise because he, Atugubah, was then the Regional Chairman of the Upper East Investigative Committee.

"I raised an objection through the Prosecutor as to why the regional chairman of the investigative committee could come and defend smugglers. The lawyer then said he had resigned from the chairmanship position.

"At the end of the trial the accused were sentenced to five years in jail. This lawyer now a Supreme Court Judge became peeved. He said he would deal with me."

He said he had a letter from the then Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. S.S. Omane inviting him to come down to Accra to see him. He said when he came to Accra he was detained for a month at the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) without any reason.

Dressed in Northern attire, he said he was interdicted from the police service while in incarceration. He said he was questioned once by the then Deputy Director of BNI, Mr. Peter Nanfuri on whether he know one Blaise Campoare and Ibrahim in Burkina Faso. He said he answered in the affirmative.

Mohamed said he was released on bail. He said he was rearrested three weeks later after he had petitioned Chairman Rawlings against his arrest. He said he was once again detained at the Police Headquarters for three months without any charge or trial and was subsequently released on bail.

Led in evidence by Mr. E.A. Mingle, he said on the instructions of Rawlings he was transferred to the Police Panthers Unit. He said he initiated the anti-smuggling campaign once again. He said he came across a file at the Panthers Unit which contained a list of allegations against him when he was in Bolgatanga. He said among the informants of the allegation was lawyer Atugubah, now on the highest court of the land.

Again, Mohamed said the anti-smuggling squad arrested a smuggler by name, Alhaji Munangah. He said he later learnt the smuggler was an associate of the then National Security Advisor, Captain Kojo Tsikata. He said the Police Central Disciplinary Board dismissed him because he disclosed the arrest to the media.

However, he told the commission that previous arrests had been made available to the media without any query from the service.

"When I was being victimized I then decided to see Capt. Tsikata. by then I didn't know he was a close associate of the suspect. He didn't want to see me. He told his secretary to ask me why I didn't allow the Police PRO to do the publication."

He said immediately after the tribunal had ruled on the case and recommended that he should be reinstated, the chairman was dismissed and the tribunal was disbanded.

He said he received ?20,000 as his entitlement for twenty years service. He said CHRAJ recommended that he should be reinstated but no action had been taken by the service. He said he was still awaiting the outcome of a petition to the Police Council.

The Commission heard the testimony of a former officer of the Military Intelligence Unit, ex-Capt. Boye Okai. The ex-Captain said he was arrested on arrival from a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. He said one Gyiwa, together with Adabuga, Braimah and Tekpoh arrested him with three others to Burma Camp.

He said on the way they stopped at a bridge and were ordered to swim in a gutter under the bridge to and fro on three occasions. Capt. Okai said they were severely beaten out of which he now has an impaired his ear.

He said after spending five years in detention he was discharged from the army. He told the commission he was given ?96,000 for eighteen years service.

The last to appear before the commission was an ex-Sergeant, Abraham Botwe who said he was unlawfully discharged from the army following allegations that he was planning to assassinate Flt. Lt. Rawlings.

He said he was blindfolded and handcuffed in the back and was taken to the Commando Training Camp at Asutsuare. He said he was battered on several occasions with the butt of weapons.

He said while in detention his wife divorced him. He spent nine years in detention without trial.

Hearing continues today.