General News of Saturday, 2 April 2016

Source: peacefmonline.com

BNI should release Capt. Koda's interrogations tape - Pratt

Kwesi Pratt Jnr.Kwesi Pratt Jnr.

Kwesi Pratt Jnr, Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper has called on the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) to release the audio recordings of its interactions with the three deported Ex-South African cops as well as Nana Akufo Addo's security Captain, Edmund Kojo Koda.

The Senior Journalist speaking on Peace FM's Kokrokoo, urged the BNI to put to rest the controversies surrounding the issue by releasing the original tapes of their investigations to the public.

He alluded to the statement released by the Interior Minister after the arrest of the three South Africans which indicated that Captain Koda "conceded that with hindsight he should have sought permission from the authorities before engaging in that exercise."

"Captain Koda’s current arrest comes on the heels of a previous security alert in 2014, after his name popped up in a National Security investigation of the activities of some Serbian nationals who were brought into the country to train selected people drawn from across the country in the art of civil insurrection, a training dubbed “Assaulting the pillars of power”.

"During interrogation, Captain ACQUAH denied the claim that he invited the South Africans but indicated that Captain KODA requested to use his facility (EL CAPITANO Hotel) for the training of his personnel. He also indicated that it was purely a business arrangement with Captain KODA and nothing else. CAPTAIN KODA on his part confirmed that he invited the suspects to train his personnel. Captain KODA conceded that with hindsight he should have sought permission from the authorities before engaging in that exercise," portions of the Interior Ministry's statement signed by the sector minister, Prosper Bani read.

Mr. Pratt believed airing the tapes will help settle the matter conclusively.

“If it is possible, those interrogations [the investigations] that went on; I know the BNI recorded. When you are taken to the BNI and interrogated, it is recorded, unless the practice has changed. If it will not disturb any other thing, it should be played for all of us to listen. Because there are some of the issues there, the only way to resolve it is to play the original tapes.

“For example, what Captain Koda is alleged to have admitted and said and what he did not admit and say, and so on; when you play the tape, the matter is settled once and for all.”