Vicky Hammah in fresh trouble

Former Deputy Minister of Communications, Victoria Lakshmi Hammah, is caught up in fresh drama, after a fracas with a police officer attached to the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service.

While the police officer claimed Victoria failed to stop as directed and had injured him in the process, the former deputy minister said she was given a hefty slap by the motor traffic cop who additionally called her “ashawo”, a derogatory term meaning ‘prostitute’ at a major intersection at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, close to the Neoplan Station last Thursday.

Constable Faati Jacob claimed Victoria was driving an unregistered BMW and supposedly talking on her mobile phone while driving and did not notice when he stopped her.

The former minister, who was relieved of her appointment after the infamous ‘VikiLeaks’ tape scandal, denied the claim and in turn reported the officer to his superiors over the alleged hefty slap and name calling.

A source told DAILY GUIDE that the police officer, deployed to check traffic congestion at the area, saw the former deputy minister speaking on her mobile phone while driving a BMW with number DV3414B and was from Nkrumah Circle towards Kaneshie around 3:20pm Thursday.

Constable Faati, who was then directing traffic, asked her to stop at that moment.

Ms Hammah allegedly failed to do so and drove away, but was later stopped by a visibility dispatch rider who crossed her vehicle and ordered her to stop. After stopping, Constable Faati approached her, stood in front of the BMW and questioned her.

Infuriated by the action of the police officer, Ms Hamah allegedly drove off, with the police officer hitting the windshield of her vehicle and getting injured in the process.

Ms Hammah, according to police sources, continued her journey, prompting a hot chase by a police dispatch rider who eventually caught up with her and dragged her to the Adabraka Police Station.

But the officers in charge refused to take a statement from her because they claimed they did not have jurisdiction over the area where the accident happened. When DAILY GUIDE finally contacted Constable Faati at the N/MTTU where the case had been reported, he said a medical form had been given to him to seek medical care. According to the police constable, he did not even realize that the person driving the car was Ms. Hamah since he was just there to discharge his official duties as a police officer. But Ms Hammah said the police account was outrageous and that she rather reported the conduct of the policeman to the Adabraka Police who said they did not have jurisdiction over the spot where the incident happened. She claimed that the policeman assaulted and called her names necessitating her reporting the matter to the Adabraka Police. She said it was the policeman who actually broke her windshield when he smashed his hand on it out of anger. Ms Hammah, however, reported the matter to the police administration, DAILY GUIDE learnt.