Samuel Atta Akyea the chairman of the Parliamentary adhoc committee probing the leaked tape alleging a conspiracy to remove the Inspector General of Police, has defended the decision by the committee to move the hearings in-camera.

This follows an announcement by the Committee that the interrogation of some three police officers who have already appeared before the committee and the testimony from IGP George Akuffo Dampare will be held behind closed doors.

Speaking on The Probe on JoyNews, the Abuakwa South MP explained that there are overriding national security concerns which cannot be discussed in the public.

“There is a necessity to fish out and substantiate what is on the tape which will bring certain matters which are very serious and might have national security implications out. So in our discretion, we believe that if this is for public consumption why not and where we think that if these things should come out it will hurt national security we will not have it in the open and we will go in-camera. This is the discretion that we have as a committee,” he added.

The decision by the Committee comes days after the Ghana Police Service interdicted the officers who have already appeared before the committee.

However, in a sharp U-turn on Friday, September 8, the Service suspended the interdiction of the three senior officers, explaining that the decision to suspend the interdiction of the three police officers was to ensure it does not affect the ongoing probe by Parliament.

“Following the interdiction of COP/Mr George Alex Mensah, Supt/Mr Emmanuel Eric Gyebi and Supt/Mr George Lysander Asare in connection with the leaked audio tape, the Police Administration would commence disciplinary proceedings into their conduct upon completion of the ongoing probe by Parliament,” the statement added.

But while condemning the decision by the Ghana Police Service, Atta Akyea argued that the action was a deliberate attempt to gag or blackmail the officers into silence.

“I was very much surprised because when people have been elected to testify on oath on their own volition, we don’t have any sword hanging on their head that if you come here and tell the truth the powers that be might interdict you.

"In fact if they knew that they could be interdicted, they wouldn’t have come here to testify. So if we are not careful, you are on the verge of interfering with witnesses, blackmailing them or intimidating them because if the other police officers who should come before the committee to testify get this clear understanding that if you open your mouth now you will be interdicted, then the committee will be deprived of the benefit of witnesses who will help us and aid us to come to the conclusions in terms of the findings or the facts.

He insists, the interdiction “was very serious. It was a raw and direct interference with what the committee was trying to do because we depend on these witnesses to work. It is their testimony that we are supposed to listen to and get some conclusion."

“The people who were purported to have been interdicted were in the middle of their testimony so is it an attempt to blackmail them into keeping silent? Do you want to gag them with the fear of they being dealt with if they speak up and what is the interdiction supposed to achieve?" he questioned.

Meanwhile Samuel Atta Akyea says he believes the leaked tape and the conversations that have followed it do some damage to the Ghana Police Service.

“Right now what is the evidence apart from the tape? So we need to now go into it. Is it the case that somebody was trying to conspire to remove an IGP for the basis of breaking the 8? Is this an NPP conspiracy? Is the IGP an enemy of NPP? These are matters that if people claim that this man is not good for the position of IGP vis-à-vis the upcoming elections, then we need to substantiate all the allegations.

“If not, then there is a serious matter of concern and if you are unable to substantiate the allegations then first of all, you will taint your own reputation and might have malice at all front. So these are matters of grave consequences.

“We will crave the indulgence of the general public so that they will give us the common sense and wisdom to look at it in-camera.”