IGP MOVES INTO ACTION
…removes INTERPOL-Ghana boss from office while investigations into the sharing
of US$49,000 continue
By Aaron Okyere
Unlike his predecessor P.K. Acheampong, the Inspector General of Police, Paul
Tawiah Quaye, has indicated in practical terms that he would not cover-up for
police personnel involved in one form of professional misconduct or the other.
As a result, he has ordered the two bosses of INTERPOL-Ghana, Chief
Superintendent Amponsah Asiamah and his deputy, Superintendent Peter Abila, to
step aside while investigations continue into the withdrawal and sharing of the
$49,000 ransom from the accounts of the Commissioner of CID of the Ghana Police
Service.
Assistant Superintendent of Police, Nketia Yeboah who is the Third-in-Command at
this INTERPOL-Ghana has thus been tasked to act as head of the unit.
Daily Post’sintelligence within the Ghana Police Service says many police
personnel are happy with the bold steps taken by the IGP to ensure that the two,
Asiamah and Abila, do not interfere with investigations by the Police
Intelligence & Professional Standards (PIPS) bureau.
It will be recalled that the Daily Post broke the story about how the
INTERPOL-Ghana bosses withdrew US$49,000 ransom from the account of the
Commissioner CID and shared it among themselves.
When the Daily Post interviewed the INTERPOL-Ghana boss, Amponsah Asiamah after
the case was published, he admitted having the money withdrawn from the bank but
denied that it has been shared by he and others. He said he has the money with
him as exhibit to be used in court and thus invited Daily Post’s editorial team
to come over the next day to see it for themselves.
Yet, two days later, in the Ghanaian Times, a faceless police investigator with
INTERPOL-Ghana contradicted Amponsah Asiamah’s assertion that the money was in
his possession when he said the $49,000 had been lodged in the Police
Commissioner CID account and the money was still there.
Meanwhile, Daily Post intelligence has established that to cover up their act,
the INTERPOL-Ghana bosses phoned the businessman in Nigeria who paid the ransom
to come to Ghana for his money.
The businessman paid the ransom of US$100,000 after a dangerous Nigerian
criminal, Emmanuel Emeka Nwangu ‘M’ and his Ghanaian wife, Patricia, who had
been working for him, kidnapped his three-year-old daughter and brought her to
Ghana.
A phone call from the two criminals directed the Nigerian businessman to pay the
US$100,000 ransom into their Ecobank account which he did. The two then withdrew
part of the money and deposited it into their Barclays bank account.
INTERPOL-Ghana which was on the heels of the two criminals obtained a court
order to have the account frozen at the bank. They later took another court
order to withdraw the money which they deposited into Police CID Commissioner’s
account and then later cashed all which they shared among themselves.
Meanwhile, two people with Emeka Nwangu who were arrested after they tried to
withdraw GH¢100,000 from the account were allegedly released after the Nigerian
criminal sent a bribe of US$9,000 to the police bosses.
Intelligence available to the Daily Post reveals an attempt to muddy the waters
and confuse Ghanaians by laying the blame of the saga at the door-steps of one
David, said to be a BNI operative who has been relieved of his job for allegedly
investigating the case involving the kidnapping of the three-year-old without
authorization from his bosses.
With the child back safely to her father in Nigeria, the two key issues that are
begging for answers are the whereabouts of Emeka Nwangu ‘M’ and why the
INTERPOL-Ghana bosses shared the ransom of US$49,000.00. Investigations
continue.
