General News of Sunday, 12 May 2019

Source: ghanaguardian.com

Treat Ofosu Ampofo as one who does not deserve respect - Effah Darteh charges police

Captain Rtd. Nkrabea Effah Dartey Captain Rtd. Nkrabea Effah Dartey

Lawyer and NPP member, Captain Rtd. Nkrabea Effah Darteh is livid with the Ghana Police Service over its ‘refusal’ to arrest NDC Chairman Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, over his refusal to honor a police invitation, ABC News Ghana can report.

Effah Darteh cannot fathom why the Police Service is ‘tolerating’ the actions of a man alleged to be behind a number of kidnappings and market fires in the country today, as per a report by the police itself.

Lawyers for the NDC National Chairman have been resolute, with the backing of the National Council of the NDC, in defying a police invitation over Mr. Ofosu Ampofo’s alleged involvement in the crimes mentioned. They describe the move by the police as a deliberate attempt to frustrate the chairman of the largest opposition party in the country today in order to throw the party into disarray with barely a year to the national general elections.

But legal practitioner and one time flagbearer hopeful of the governing New Patriotic Party, Nkrabea Effah Dartey will have none of those concerns by the NDC and its National Council.

“You have told your lawyers to take their long pen to write to the CID to inform them that since it’s an invitation, you don’t accept the invitation. ok if your are accorded respect and you don’t like it, then we will treat you as somebody who does not deserve respect,” the former military officer fumed in an interview monitored by ABC News Ghana.

Giving a legal interpretation to the actions of the CID invitation to Mr. Ampofo, Captain Effah Darteh noted,” the offence that you(Ofosu Ampofo) have been arrested for, for which you are being prosecuted, is separate from the new offence you are alleged to have committed so they can arrest you.”

He added, “when you commit one offence and (are) arrested but engage in another offence, we can still arrest you. If you commit the same, we can still arrest you. The more you commit the same offence the more you can be arrested. Ofosu Ampofo can be arrested hundred times if he commits the same offence hundred times.”

Effah Darteh chided the police for not living up to the expected standards over its failure to arrest the NDC Chairman for questioning. He said were the CID to be serious about the issue at hand, Mr Ofosu Ampofo would have already been arrested and charged by the Service.

"My view is that, it is not in the hands of Ofosu Ampofo’s lawyers to talk like that. If they (CID) are serious they should have arrested Ofosu Ampofo and charge him even for refusing the police invitation,” he declared.