'Probe conduct of head of PIPS'

Page 41: Daily Graphic, September 21, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE lawyer for the retired General of the United States Air Force, General James Kellim, has called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to investigate the conduct and role of the head of the Police Intelligence and Professional Standards Unit (PIPS) of the Ghana Police Service, ACP Timothy Ashley for his involvement in the effort to unlawfully arrest and detain Gen Kellim on September 15, 2009.
The lawyer, Mr Joe Aboagye Debrah, said the actions of ACP Ashley were wholly objectionable and a serious affront to the integrity of the Ghana Police Service.
“Indeed, we are dismayed that the very person who heads the unit detailed to help prevent and deal with the same incidents will engage in an unsanctioned operation for his personal ends,” he noted.
“We wish to further plead that his (ACP Ashley’s) previous conduct in the case of Mad. Patience Boateng be taken into consideration. Finally, we wish to state that ACP Ashley’s role in the Ghana Police Service is to act to prevent the exact issues he has orchestrated and that should not be allowed to continue as it will dent the image of the Ghana Police Service unduly,” he said.
In his September 16, 2009 petition, Mr Debrah wondered why ACP Ashley was in such a rush to get the story published by journalists, why Gen Kellim was denied access to his lawyers by ACP Ashley and why the ladies involved in the matter were released by ACP Ashley.
He further sought to know who the complainant was in the matter, what links ACP Ashley had with Madam Patience Boateng, the suspect in the substantive matter in which Gen Kellim had petitioned the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and what investigation PIPS conducted to warrant the raid on Gen Kellim.
“Why is that it was officers from PIPS who conducted the said raid? Was ACP Ashley aware that the criminal matter involving Madam Patience Boateng was being processed for court on Friday, September 18, 2009 and what offence under the Criminal Code, 1960, Act 29, as amended, did our client commit?” he asked.
Mr Debrah said counsel had been compelled to raise those issues and bring them to the IGP’s attention because “we are deeply concerned about the implications for the Ghana Police Service when its own internal integrity unit is able to act to frustrate other units of the service in a manner such as has happened to our client”.
According to him, they were also concerned about the potential damage to the country’s reputation from such ‘private ventures’ by police officers against foreigners who had cases against indigenes.
Mr Debrah recalled that on August 13, 2009, Gen Kellim had filed a complaint of stealing at the CID Headquarters against a Ghanaian lady named Patience Boateng involving approximately $50,000.00.
He said the suspect was bailed, she petitioned PIPS that she had been detained for more than 48 hours by the Police officers.
“Strangely, the same ACP Ashley then attempted to halt the entire investigation of the substantive matter. It took a petition from the then counsel of our client and the intervention of both the Legal Department of the Ghana Police Service and the Director, CID, to ensure that the investigation was not truncated,” he disclosed.
Mr Debrah said having failed in that effort, counsel found it extremely unusual that the same officer and men under his command could storm a hotel room and arrest Gen Kellim on clearly trumped up charges which had no foundation in fact or in law.
“We are also particularly concerned by the gross abuse of our client’s human rights by the said officer and his men who denied him access to his phones and to his counsel during his detention. We are dismayed that in pursuance of his personal objective of preventing the substantive case from proceeding, the said ACP Ashley managed to assemble journalists, both print and electronic into his office and paraded our client before them, causing severe embarrassment to his hard-won image and reputation,” he said.
He expressed regret that the actions of ACP Ashley had directly led to newspaper publications on the matter in the Daily Guide and Ghanaian Times newspapers and also a news item on the evening news of on September 15, 2009.