IGP ‘hot’ after disobeying court orders

The Inspector General of Police, David Asante Apeatu is in hot waters for disrespecting an order given by the Accra High Court.

The Head of the police force incurred the wrath of the court after he failed to honor an order to release police escorts to assist with the eviction of occupants; police personnel, in 12 blocks of flats at Madina REDCO in Accra.

Two private citizens Samuel Aggrey Jnr and Augustine Gyekye who brought the case against him told the court that the IGP has willfully disobeyed orders to provide security for the execution of a court order for the sale of a building belonging to them.

The two; Samuel Aggrey and Augustine Gyekye took on the case after one Mrs. Aggrey, now deceased filed a case against the REDCO Company Limited.

Mrs. Aggrey won the case after arguing that REDCO failed to pay an amount of money owed her; subsequently, the court attached the property; the 12 blocks flats at Madina in Accra in its judgement. It was also decided that the property be sold by the court to retrieve the owed monies if REDCO failed to pay the monies due her.

REDCO, after appealing the decision however gave out the property to the Ghana Police Service to accommodate some of its officers even before the court ruled on the matter.

Along the line, the police service reportedly purchased the property from REDCO and claimed ownership.

The applicants then went back to court to seek an order for the police to vacate the property and rather help to execute the High Court order to sell the property. But the police failed to do that and instead claimed ownership of the property. The lawyers then filed another case citing the IGP for contempt.

The court presided over by Justice Daniel Mensah was said that once the flat was in the custody of the court, it was illegal for anyone to sell or buy the property and that the police should have done due diligence. Mr. Asante Apeautu is likely to be sentenced on October 25, 2018.