ACP Maame Tiwaa Addo – Danquah and A-Plus
Deputy Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, ACP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, has accused Kwame Asare Obeng, popularly known as A-Plus, of doctoring a recorded conversation she had with him.
The police officer and A-Plus had a private conversation regarding a case of corruption allegation he (A-Plus) had leveled against the two deputy Chiefs of Staff at the Office of the President, which the CID was investigating.
The conversation subsequently found its way into the public domain with damning consequences; suggesting that there was a cover-up in the probe of President Akufo-Addo’s two deputy Chiefs of Staff on the corruption allegation.
According to the deputy CID boss, an audio recording making the rounds on social media that the report on the two men at the presidency – Samuel Abu Jinapor and Francis Asenso-Boakye – over corruption allegation was cooked, had been doctored by A-Plus, a musician, with the intention to dent her image.
“I have listened to the purported telephone conversation between myself and A-Plus many times and it is very obvious that my conversation with him has been doctored and/or edited to achieve a deliberate, mischievous and evil purpose,” ACP Tiwaa Addo-Danquah claimed in a statement issued yesterday.
In the statement, she said much of the content of the said tape is a total fabrication and a figment of the author’s imagination.
The aggrieved senior police officer averred that A-Plus mischievously picked some aspect of her voice in a later conversation she had with him when the report was leaked, just to taint her reputation.
“Significantly, it is imperative to indicate that the said telephone conversation that has been doctored or edited lasted for 56 seconds.
“It should be clear to discerning Ghanaians that the said mischievous recording lasted for over 5 minutes,” she pointed out.
Facts
Giving her version of the whole story, ACP Maame Tiwaa Addo-Danquah indicated that upon receiving the directive from President Akufo-Addo to investigate the case in which A-Plus had made allegation of fraud and corruption against Messrs Francis Asenso-Boakye and Abu Jinapor, a team of four senior detectives, headed by the Director General of the Criminal Investigation Department of which she was a member, was set up.
“In the course of the investigations, I had a series of discussions relating to the subject matter with A-Plus, some of which were via telephone,” according to her.
According to her, of a particular significance among others, was for him (A-Plus) to document his denial of the thievery allegation against the two deputy chiefs of staff by coming back to give a further statement.
The deputy CID boss revealed that A-Plus failed to report back to document his denial of the thievery allegation.
“I certainly could not have possibly come to that conclusion when I spoke to him, insisting that he documents his denial of thievery against the two, the investigative team had not had the benefit of a response from the two appointees,” she averred.
Blackmail
After the report was released on Monday, September 18, 2017, according to the deputy CID boss, she received a telephone call the following day from A-Plus disagreeing to the findings.
She said after that A-Plus sent her a text message and threatened to put her voice in the public domain because he felt the team had insulted him by saying that the allegations were baseless; but she took it lightly thinking A-Plus was just aggrieved.
ACP Maame Tiwaa Addo-Danquah reiterated that she still remains fully in agreement with the conclusion reached by the investigative team – which is that the allegation of corruption leveled against the two deputy chiefs of staff was completely baseless and without merit and also lacked credibility.
“Indeed, the accuser when invited, provided no evidence at all to back his allegation and the investigative panel found no wrongdoing.
“His statement to the police as well as the investigative report evidences this conclusion beyond doubt,” she underscored.
ACP Tiwaa indicated that she felt painted by this “calculated and dastardly attempt” to soil her reputation and condemned same in no uncertain terms.
A-Plus Denies Allegation
Meanwhile, A-Plus has denied recording and leaking the secret conversation but maintained that the conclusion of the investigation was skewed to favour the two presidential staffers whom he insists are very corrupt.
“They said the allegation was baseless and I have kept quiet; now they want to sacrifice me. If you move one step, I will move two,” he fumed.
Reacting to the said audio in an interview on Accra-based Kasapa FM, A-Plus denied ever recording a police officer and leaking it to exonerate himself.
“I have not leaked any tape or even recorded any police officer. I have not had the chance to listen to any tape suggesting I was the one and so there is no way I can own that voice.
“The tape is inaudible to me; I couldn’t hear a thing as you played it. The voices sound more like the chatter of ghosts,” A-Plus told the host of the programme, adding, “So give me up to tomorrow morning to listen to the tape then I’m sure I can confirm its content to the people of Ghana.”
Controversial Tape
A tape of the musician and a senior police officer reportedly leaked, exposing how the police administration managed to whitewash the two appointees.
In the audio, the senior police officer was heard advising the musician to deny the allegation, retract it because he is a member of the ruling party.
“As for the corruption aspect of it, from what you said and what we have gone to confirm, you wouldn’t be too far from right to say that this is what happened,” she reportedly said on the tape.
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey