An Accra-based Legal Practitioner, Kwame Akuffo has express disappointment in the Police Service for publicly rubbishing the Interim Report by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) on the cocaine-turned-baking soda saga which placed the blame of the swapping of the substance at the door step of the law enforcement agency.
According to him, the public outburst by the police is very dangerous to the country�s governance principles and the criminal justice system, adding that the Police Service has set a very dangerous precedent regarding their position on the BNI report especially so when the police and BNI might be called upon to investigate the issue further and send a docket to the Attorney-General�s department for prosecution purposes.
To him, per the police administration�s action, any organization within government can just reject and rubbish an interim investigative report especially one that is emanating from the BNI.
�The position of the Police that the BNI/ CJ�s interim report is bogus affects the principles of governance in this country and they�ve set a very dangerous precedent especially because they work hand in hand with the BNI in most cases so for them to start rubbishing their reports is very dangerous to the governance principles of our country and the criminal justice system. They�ve set a bad historical precedent that when any investigative report is issued and it�s against you, you can reject and rubbish it,� he noted.
The Ghana Police Service at a press conference on Thursday, made nonsense of the BNI/CJ report on the cocaine turned baking powder which sought to indict them for swapping the substance tendered in evidence.
According to the police, most of the recommendations conveyed in the final report submitted by the Committee set up by the Chief Justice and the Interim Report from the BNI are baseless, insisting that they stand by the conviction that the exhibit was not swapped in police custody.
But speaking in an interview on Peace FM�s Kokrokoo Morning show, Lawyer Akuffo opined that the stance taken by the police on both reports is a disgrace to government and disrespect to the Vice President John Mahama, who ordered the BNI to conduct the investigation.
He believes the leadership of the Veep who also happens to be Chairman of the Police Council has been undermined.
�This is something that must be condemned at once because the police has disgraced government and they�ve also disrespected and undermined the leadership of government, especially the Vice President, John Mahama who ordered for the BNI to conduct the investigations,� he said.
The legal practitioner further posited that what makes matters worse is the fact that the police are custodians of law and order in the country and had every opportunity to call for a review especially since the report is an interim one than to publicly rubbish it.
He added that the police could have also rejected the appointing of the BNI to conduct the investigation and advocated for an independent enquiry right from the beginning when they thought the BNI was ill-equipped to conduct a fair investigation than wait till the end and cry foul.
��this is something that must be fiercely condemned because the police public degradation of the BNI report has affected the principles of government and observers are keenly watching the government�s reaction,� he said.
Source: Beatrice Adepa Frempong/Peacefmonline.com
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