Director of Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent Cephas Arthur has said the delay in concluding the trial of officers involved in the recruitment scam that hit the service in 2015 is because of the number of witnesses being called to testify.
According to him, in order to be fair, indicted persons have been allowed to invite witnesses to testify for them.
“Why it has taken much time is because this is somebody’s right, somebody’s life and you must give hearing to him. If the person is calling as many witnesses as possible, you don’t truncate it because you don’t know which of the witnesses is going to make his case for you. The defendants also keep on inviting witnesses.”
He said “as I speak, on authority, between the two of us, I happen to be a witness to the defendant and I was called only last week.
These are some of the reasons why it has delayed.” The Police service was hit by a recruitment scam in June 2015 during which over 500 people were given recruitment letters after allegedly paying between GHC1,500 to GHC2,500 and were asked to report at the training depots.
The Police during its investigations arrested three men for their alleged involvement in the scam including the Service’s Director-General in-charge of Human Resource, COP Patrick Timbilla.
Meanwhile, the dockets indicting the officers have been forwarded to the Attorney General’s department for advice.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Thursday, Superintendent Cephas Arthur said eight months after the docket was sent, “we are still waiting for advice.”
He said the Police were also charged to resort “to our internal justice system and try the officers involved.”
“As we speak it is the trial that has delayed the process…Last week I paid a visit to the trial and from the things I saw; from the adjudicating officers, panel putting things together, we are just at the end of the process,” he assured.
Recruitment scam is an indictment on Police Service
Deputy Minority Spokesperson on Defense and Interior in Parliament, Major Derrick Oduro had earlier said the recruitment scam is an indictment on the Police Service.
“I’m greatly surprised because in March, same scam happened, [and] some of us were asking of an extended investigation to involve a whole lot of people. Now the Police administration insisted that they could do it to forestall future occurrence, and it has happened again!” “This time the amount collected from the victims were higher than whatever that happened in March. This is very serious,” he intimated.
Police begin recruitment ahead of November polls
The Ghana Police Service has commenced processes to recruit new officers into the service, six months to the crucial November 7 general elections.
The exercise has suffered some setback due to the acquisition of voucher for the electronic application form but the Police has called for calm.
According to him, in order to be fair, indicted persons have been allowed to invite witnesses to testify for them.
“Why it has taken much time is because this is somebody’s right, somebody’s life and you must give hearing to him. If the person is calling as many witnesses as possible, you don’t truncate it because you don’t know which of the witnesses is going to make his case for you. The defendants also keep on inviting witnesses.”
He said “as I speak, on authority, between the two of us, I happen to be a witness to the defendant and I was called only last week.
These are some of the reasons why it has delayed.” The Police service was hit by a recruitment scam in June 2015 during which over 500 people were given recruitment letters after allegedly paying between GHC1,500 to GHC2,500 and were asked to report at the training depots.
The Police during its investigations arrested three men for their alleged involvement in the scam including the Service’s Director-General in-charge of Human Resource, COP Patrick Timbilla.
Meanwhile, the dockets indicting the officers have been forwarded to the Attorney General’s department for advice.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Thursday, Superintendent Cephas Arthur said eight months after the docket was sent, “we are still waiting for advice.”
He said the Police were also charged to resort “to our internal justice system and try the officers involved.”
“As we speak it is the trial that has delayed the process…Last week I paid a visit to the trial and from the things I saw; from the adjudicating officers, panel putting things together, we are just at the end of the process,” he assured.
Recruitment scam is an indictment on Police Service
Deputy Minority Spokesperson on Defense and Interior in Parliament, Major Derrick Oduro had earlier said the recruitment scam is an indictment on the Police Service.
“I’m greatly surprised because in March, same scam happened, [and] some of us were asking of an extended investigation to involve a whole lot of people. Now the Police administration insisted that they could do it to forestall future occurrence, and it has happened again!” “This time the amount collected from the victims were higher than whatever that happened in March. This is very serious,” he intimated.
Police begin recruitment ahead of November polls
The Ghana Police Service has commenced processes to recruit new officers into the service, six months to the crucial November 7 general elections.
The exercise has suffered some setback due to the acquisition of voucher for the electronic application form but the Police has called for calm.
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