Cocaine – Who Are The Big People Behind?

DSP Edward Kwadwo Tabiri, one of the officers involved in the cocaine scandal has certainly spilled the beans. He says there are certain things he will want to say and which are very damning to the reputation of some big men and therefore pleaded with the Georgina Wood Committee investigating the East Legon Cocaine Scandal to walk the media out of the Ministry of the Interior conference hall, where the proceedings are taking place.

“There are certain things I can reveal here, and they are very damning to national security and the reputation of some big big people. With the press here, I’m not comfortable,” DSP Tabiri had told the Committee at its first sitting. He admitted demanding money to be used as a bait,” but added that it was a unanimous decision taken by him and his boss, Mr. Ampewuah, the deputy Director-General of CID.

He admitted certain parts of the tape-recording which was played to the hearing of all, and tendered in as evidence by Ms. Grace Asibi, the girlfriend of a Venezuelan, Gerardo Vasquez, an alleged cocaine fugitive. According to him, he requested for money from Grace Asibi based upon what he had gathered in the course of his investigations and denied the bribery allegation levelled against him. “Yes, I admit to certain parts of this tape that I requested you (Grace Asibi) to go for money based upon what I have gathered,” Mr. Tabiri had revealed.

He accused Grace of being ‘selective’ and ‘choosy’ in the kind of information she wanted go give to the Committee.“I’m totally overwhelmed by the allegation of bribery levelled against me,” he said. Mr. Tabiri told the Committee that he had an ‘extensive chat’ with Grace Asibi and wondered why she chose to bring out only portions she thought would implicate him and ignored the rest.

Earlier, Ms Grace Asibi, in her submission, made some startling revelations about high-ranking police officers’ involvement in the bribery scandal in connection with the case. She categorically mentioned Mr. Patrick Kwabena Ampewuah, the deputy Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) as having called her and threatened her to leave the country within 12 hours or risk losing her life. When Grace offered to tender in evidence, a tape –recording of a conversation between her and Mr. Ampewuah (i.e on the first sitting of the committee), the Committee objected to it and rather requested that since Mr. Ampewuah was not present to react to the allegation, Grace “should hold on.”

He was however present during the second day of the Committee sitting. When the tape-recording which allegedly contained the voice of Mr. Ampewuah was played and later tended in evidence, he denied that the voice on it was his, even though Grace still insists that it is Mr. Ampewuah’ voice. Grace further told the Committee that at a certain point in time, Mr. Tabiri asked her to bring more money because the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mr. Patrick K. Acheampong had just returned from France and therefore needed his share of the booty. The Committee had requested that all the tapes that had been tendered in evidence be sent to Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) for the extraneous materials to be taken out.