Three German Regional CID Policemen Arrested In Ghana

According to the German Newspaper (Berliner Zeitung), as three German police officers from the German Regional Criminal Department in Berlin tried to deport a 30-year-old to Ghana they were arrested and had to give their passports to the Airport Police in Accra-Ghana.

They were denied food and drink as well as telephone call to the German Embassy in Accra.

For the three officials, a commissioner, superintendent and chief superintendent of Division 6 of the Regional Criminal Department in Berlin, it was a normal official duty. On 17th February this year Emmanuel M. was picked up by the officers from detention in Berlin K?penick and took the detainee to the airport Tegel in Berlin. At 8:55 German local time they flew with the Dutch airline KLM to Amsterdam and then to Ghana. When the plane landed at 19 O'clock in Accra, the Berlin police officers were already expected by the local airport police, but they (Ghana Police) rendered no assistance to the German Police but rather took the the Passports from the Berlin police officers away. It took almost 1 hour before the German Authorities in Germany were informed by the Ghana (Airport) police.

The Airport Police commander in Accra told the three officers that their prisoner had claimed not to be a citizen of Ghana, but coming from Liberia. Officials from Berlin tried without success to explain the matter to the airport commander that the Embassy of Ghana in Germany issued a Ghana Passport to Emmanuel M. and he himself told several detainees including the German authorities that he was from Ghana. This evidence from Berlin were not accepted by the Airport Police commander.

Some hours later around 20.30 O'clock one of the three German police officers tried to contact the captain of the airline KLM but was in vain. The Dutchman could not help the German police. They were not allowed to leave the country. Even as the German policemen then decided to take Emmanuel M. back to Germany the Ghanaian police rejected, not even the German Embassy in Accra could convince the police at the Ghana Airport.

They request for a hotel but the police in Ghana rejected. Instead, the officials were allowed to take on metal chairs. To eat and drink there was nothing. Several Ghanaian people insulted the German police officers as Nazis.

With a little effort and money the German Police were able to organize a phone card. But the first call for help from the German embassy failed because it was very late and everyone was asleep. Five hours later it became possible for the Germans to establish contact with the diplomatic mission of the Federal Republic of Germany. It took some more hours again before they could get help from two federal border guards with diplomatic status who were sent straight away from Germany to Accra Airport.

After waiting for a period of 16 hours the German officials were then allowed to get a hotel where they could find something to drink and eat.

Eight hours later, the decision of the authorities in Ghana: all of them have to go back to Berlin, the three officials and the black African Emmanuel M. who was supposed to be deported to Ghana.

Two days the three German policemen and Emanuel M. came back to Berlin-Tegel where he is currently detained in (Berlin-K?penick) prison. His case is still pending for the decision of the German immigration authorities.