The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) have vehemently debunked police prosecutors’ claims to the court that the GAF refused to produce Captain Abel Nartey, an officer stationed at the Training and Doctrine Command in Teshie, accused of involvement in a recruitment scam amounting to over GHc130k, to assist police investigations.
According to the GAF, these “misrepresentations” to the court led to a bench warrant being issued for the arrest of Captain Abel Nartey, and the police ought to be cautioned against injuring the reputation of the army in the public eye.
However, the police maintained that they wrote to the army, including sending a wireless message, but still received no responses from the army, urging them to lower their “egos” because they “are not above the laws.”
The Circuit Court in Accra, presided over by His Honour Samuel Bright Acquah, on July 4, 2024, issued a bench warrant for the arrest of the military officer. This was after the court was informed that the military had ignored efforts from the police, including wireless messages, to have the accused person produced to assist with investigations.
Captain Nartey, charged together with Clement Ayomah, also a military officer stationed at Burma Camp, with two counts—conspiracy and defrauding by false pretenses—has pleaded not guilty.
Captain Nartey, who was at large (on the run) when the case was first called on July 4, which led to the court issuing a bench warrant upon the prosecution’s request, was produced to the court by the military on Tuesday, July 9.
Col. Felix Korbieh, Director of Legal Affairs of the Ghana Armed Forces, told the court that the police misrepresentation against the Armed Forces “is in bad taste.”
“The Ghana Armed Forces monitored events leading to the bench warrant on social media …and several others,” he said, adding, “It is the case of the Armed Forces that the misrepresentation made by the (police) prosecution against the Ghana Armed Forces is in bad taste,” Col. Korbieh told the court.
“Myself, as the Director of Legal Affairs of the Army, never received any message in respect of A2 (Captain Abel Nartey), neither did the Military Police receive the same as alleged,” he told the court.
Col. Korbieh recalled that the only message the Military Police received, dated April 12, 2024, was a correspondence from the police inviting A2 (Captain Abel Nartey) to the Police Regional CID Headquarters.
After reading the content of that letter, he said, from “April till date the Army never received any wireless messages to produce A2 (Captain Abel Nartey).”
“And, I challenge the prosecution to produce the same,” Col. Korbieh told the court.
“The reputation of the Army has been injured,” he said, adding that, “the military is not in any way condoning crime.”
“We, therefore, want to put on record that no message apart from the quoted message was received and that the Armed Forces failed to release A2 (Captain Abel Nartey)” to the police for investigation.
He pointed out that the police misrepresentation led to the grant of the bench warrant against the 2nd accused (Captain Abel Nartey).
He said that act by the police has “dented the image of the military” and “should be redeemed the same way it was dented on social media.”
He said the court should caution the police from making such misrepresentations.
Police Rebuttals
Chief Inspector Wisdom Alorwu, the prosecutor, said, “It is our position that messages were sent to the military for the production of the accused, and they failed.”
While deciding that, “I will not react to what the military has told the court,” he did not oppose the request to have the bench warrant rescinded.
Lower Your Egos
A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Maxwell Oppong, another of the police prosecutors acting as a friend to the court, said, “We are all officers, and so when you are caught up with the laws because of your egos you abuse it.”
He added “Upon all the letters we (Police) wrote to the Defense Ministry, they did not respond to us.”
“It is unprofessional from our colleagues (Military Officers) on the other side,” and that, “they are thinking they are above the law,” DSP Oppong criticized the army officers.
The Circuit Court, presided over by His Honour Samuel Bright Acquah, said no one is above the laws of the land, including himself as a judge and any other person, including the President of the land.
The court subsequently rescinded the bench warrant issued for the arrest of the military officer, Captain Abel Nartey.
EIB Network’s Legal Affairs Correspondent, Murtala Inusah, who was in court, reports that Captain Abel Nartey was accompanied to court by detailed high-ranking military officers.
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