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Vice President of IMANI Africa Kofi Bentil has strongly criticised the government's decision to appoint a new Inspector General of Police (IGP) while a Supreme Court ruling on the removal of the former IGP is still pending.
He argues that President John Mahama’s move to replace Dr. George Akuffo Dampare with COP Christian Tetteh Yohuno is unacceptable and constitutes contempt of the highest court in the land.
Speaking on JoyFM’s Top Story, Bentil emphasised that taking actions that undermine or preempt a court’s decision while a case is ongoing is both unlawful and contemptuous.
When a case is before a court, it is contemptuous of the court for anybody to take an action that overreaches the court.
What it means is simply that you don’t do anything to make nonsense of a court ruling where it is imminent.
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Now, the action, therefore, of the executive is contemptuous of the highest court of this land, because for about a year now, a case has been filed before they came into office.
Bentil explained that although the Supreme Court has heard arguments from all parties and set a date for its ruling, the President has proceeded with appointing a new IGP, an action he believes directly disregards judicial authority.
That confusion that will erupt is exactly the reason why no law-abiding person, when a case is before a court and the court is about to make a ruling, would go and try to overreach the court.
Indeed, there is a school of thought that believes that under the circumstance, there is already an injunction in place, which is why we filed to confirm that injunction so that, if there is any doubt, nobody will act based on that.
Now being that it is, as it may be, they have done what they’ve done; if the court ruled that indeed the president should not remove any IGP or security head or whatever without just cause, what happens? We end up in a very, very terrible stalemate.
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Bentil stressed that the issue is not about specific individuals, such as former IGP George Akuffo Dampare or newly appointed IGP Christian Tetteh Yohunu, but rather about protecting the integrity of the security system.
We did not speak for IGP Dampare; I, myself, and Prof. Anning here have been at this thing for years before IGP Dampare.
We don’t speak for him, and we have no problem with anybody doing their job. We have no problem with IGP Yohunu.
I knew IGP Yohunu many years before I even knew IGP Dampare, so it is not about the personalities; it is about the security services.
Now this will create confusion if that ruling comes out to hold our viewpoint that upon the reading of all the laws that are applicable, a president can appoint but may not remove a ranked officer without just cause.
Bentil expressed regret over the replacement of the former IGP and expressed hope that if the Supreme Court ruling favours their position, the necessary corrections will be made.