General News of Saturday, 5 February 2022
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2022-02-05Sekondi-Takoradi MCE vs. Police Inspector: What we know so far
Abdul Mumin Issah, the Metropolitan Chief Executive for Sekondi-Takoradi Assembly
A politician flexing his muscle in the deep of night on a barely lit road meets a Police Inspector who takes his inspection personal and professional.
The politician raves and rants for the impudence of the officer to even seek to ‘discipline’ him but the officer stands and steers the law despite the politician’s threats and taunts.
A long
Read full articlelast two days for one of the most powerful decentralization officials in the country. Abdul-Mumin Issah, was one of six Metropolitan Chief Executives, MCEs, in Ghana.
As of Friday, February 4, 2022, he was the subject of criminal charges after he had been arrested the day before for among others breaching road traffic regulations and threatening a law enforcement officer.
GhanaWeb chronicles what we know so far of the case involving the Sekondi Mayor
Three Charges leveled, GHC100,000 bail granted
The MCE was slapped with three charges relating to the following: Assault of a public officer, Offensive conduct conducive to breaches of the peace and disturbing the peace in a public place contrary to Sections 205, 207 and 298, respectively, of the Criminal and Other Offences Act of 1960, Act 29.
The Command said he has also been charged for dangerous driving contrary to Section 1 of Act 683 of 2004 as amended by Act 761 of 2008.
“The MCE who was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser with registration number GE 5615-20 is alleged to have driven dangerously and carelessly while approaching a police snap checkpoint at the Kwasimintsim cemetery on Wednesday, February 2, 2022.
“When one of the police officers on duty attempted to stop him, he verbally assaulted and threatened him,” the Command said.
He appeared in court and has since been granted a GHC100,000 bail.
Suspended by Local Government Minister on orders of President
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, ordered the suspension of the MCE according to a letter signed by the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Dan Botwe.
"On the instructions of the President, the Metropolitan Chief Executive Sekondi-Takoradi Assembly, Mr. Abdul Mumin Issah has been suspended from office with immediate effect pending an inquiry into his encounter with the Police on February 3, 2022.
"Without prejudice to the matter now before court, Government takes a very dim view of the comments made by the Metropolitan Chief Executive during his exchanges with the Police.
"The comments by the Chief Executive run contrary to the Government's belief and work to ensure that our Security Agencies and indeed Public Agencies are resourced, empowered and accorded the respect to deliver on mandates," the statement said in part.
While serving his suspension, the Minister for the Western Region, Kwabena Darko-Mensah, will act, the statement added.
"In the interim, the Hon. Western Regional Minister, Mr. Kwabena Darko-Mensah has been assigned additional supervisory authority on Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly," it added.
Police statement announcing the MCE’s arrest
The MCE’s arrest was confirmed via a statement from the Western Regional Command dated February 3, 2022. It read in part:
“The MCE who was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser with registration number GE 5615-20 is alleged to have driven dangerously and carelessly while approaching a police snap checkpoint at the Kwasimintsim cemetery on Wednesday, February 2, 2022.
“When one of the police officers on duty attempted to stop him, he verbally assaulted and threatened him,” the statement added.
But what really happened between the MCE and the Police Officer?
At around 8.30 pm on Wednesday, February 2, 2022, the MCE who was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser with the registration number GE 5615-20 while approaching the police checkpoint decided to move past cars waiting to go through the snap check at the Kwesimintsim cemetery.
Inspector Sarfo Andrews and his team who were at the time on duty stopped the MCE whose flouting of the road regulations nearly led to him nearly hitting the Police Inspector.
In a 20-minute video footage shared by the state-run Graphic Online portal, there was a heated exchange between the MCE and the Police Inspector as the former was heard angrily heaping invectives on the police officer for insisting that he joins the queue like others and wait for his turn.
The MCE attempted to use another officer to convince the Inspector on duty to allow him to go, but he [Inspector] insisted that the MCE’s conduct goes against the law and he deserves to be punished for it.
Whereas most of the discussions around the issue have centred around the MCE’s conduct largely comprising condemnation, there are others who have celebrated the professional conduct of the Police Inspector involved.
