Former Commissioner of Police, COP George Alex Mensah, has maintained that the Ghana Police Service lacks the authority to penalize him in connection with the alleged plot to remove the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, from his position.
COP Mensah argues that even if the committee investigating the matter finds him guilty of any wrongdoing, it is the state that must pursue legal action against him and substantiate its case.
He expressed his views during an interview with Joy News, stating, "The committee is doing a perfect job because they are seeking the truth and have gathered all the necessary information to inform their report.
“Unfortunately for them, I am no more a police man. But what has he [Supt. George Asare] done? Because he went to see a politician and spoke to him, he should be charged? For what? If you go into the Police Service’s rules and regulations, it says that, if you do anything that will bring about political uproar, then you can be charged. And the one who brought the uproar is the one who brought this [The recording] into the media. There was nothing like a plot,” he reiterated.
“The Police Service cannot do anything to me. If the committee comes out that I have committed a crime, then the state can do something to me. I have nothing to do with the Police Service as I speak," Myjoyonline.com quoted COP Alex Mensah
Alex Mensah, who officially retired on September 18, 2023, after serving 31 years in the police force, explained that the allegations against him were related to a leaked tape in which he was heard criticizing Dr. Dampare's administration and suggesting that he would not support the governing party if the IGP remained in office until the 2024 elections.
Accompanied by another senior police officer, Superintendent George Asare, and former Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Bugri Naabu, who admitted recording the conversation, COP Mensah appeared before a parliamentary committee tasked with investigating the tape's contents. During the session, he made further critical statements about the IGP, describing him as the worst in the history of the service.
The parliamentary committee is still in the process of finalizing its report after questioning all involved parties, including the IGP.
COP Mensah, who seems unperturbed by the incident, emphasized that even Superintendent George Asare, his colleague who is still in service, had not committed any offense warranting punishment.
Responding to a question about his retirement benefits, he confidently stated, "Yes, nothing is at risk. If a crime has been committed, it must go to court for the court to prove that I have indeed committed a crime."
Alex Mensah, an aspiring New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate for the Bekwai Constituency in the Ashanti Region, believes the entire issue has been blown out of proportion, maintaining that there was never a plot to oust the IGP, as suggested.
He firmly asserted that the conversation was private, and the focus should be on the individual who leaked the recording rather than those engaged in ordinary discussions.
The former police commissioner had previously informed the parliamentary committee that the tape was manipulated to serve a specific malicious agenda.
"I did not say anything wrong in the tape. I was not planning a coup, nor was I planning to engage in illegal activities. Everything I said on the tape is the truth. If given the chance, I will repeat it here and anywhere else."
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Cop Alex Mensah (RTD)