The Parliamentary committee which probed the leaked tape regarding the alleged scheme by some senior police officers to remove the Inspector-General of Police from office has cited two of the officers who appeared before the committee for Contempt of Parliament after they told lies to the committee under oath.
The committee in its report presented to Parliament said the two officers Supt. George Lysander Asare and Supt. Emmanuel Eric Gyebi “Sought to undermine the authority of Parliament” by lying under oath in their responses to the committee.
The committee has therefore referred them to the Privileges Committee of Parliament for appropriate action to be taken.
“Supt. Gyebi during his testimony under oath, on 31st August, 2023 denied ever speaking to Chief Bugri Naabu directly on his phone or on the phone of Supt Asare. However, when he appeared before the Committee again on 10th October, 2023, he changed his earlier testimony and affirmed that he indeed spoke to Chief Bugri Naabu on phone.”
The Committee further said: “Supt. Asare also in answering a question under oath posed by Hon. Peter Lanchene Toobu on 4th September, 2023 on whether he was present when Chief Bugri Naabu spoke to Supt. Emmanuel Gyebi on phone, he responded in the negative. However, he changed his initial response to this question to the affirmative when he appeared before the Committee on 10th October, 2023.”
When he first appeared before the committee, Supt. Gyebi denied his involvement in the conspiracy by flatly denying that he had ever spoken to Chief Bugri Naabu after the former NPP Northern Regional Chairman had said the two had spoken and agreed to present their misgivings about the IGP to the President.
Supt. Asare in his further testimony before the committee, also denied the allegations that Supt. Gyebi spoke with Bugri Naabu on his (Asare) phone and went further to call Bugri Naabu a liar; an allegation Bugri took very strong exception to.
The two Police officers however made sharp U-turns after Chief Bugri Naabu presented the longer version of the tape to the committee which had the conversation between Supt. Gyebi and Chief Bugri Naabu.
The committee therefore recommended that the two be given stiff punishment for their conduct.
“The Committee is of the view that Supt. Asare and Supt Gyebi appeared to have acted in contempt of Parliament pursuant to Order 30 of the Standing Orders of Parliament (2000) as revised by Order 13 )1( of the Standing Orders of Parliament (2024). In this regard, the Committee is of the opinion that the matter be referred to the Privileges Committee for appropriate action”.
Three senior police officers, COP Alex George Mensah, Supt. George Lysander Asare and Supt. Emmanuel Eric Gyebi were heard on a leaked tape allegedly plotting the removal of the Inspector-General of Police with the former Northern regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Daniel Bugri Naabu.
The tape was recorded by Bugri Naabu who confirmed taping their conversation as he was shocked that serving police officers will seek to undermine the authority of the IGP in such a brazen manner and wanted to report their conduct to the President.