Interdicted former East Legon Police Commander, DSP Emmanuel Basintale, and four others, have sued the Ghana Police Service contending their rights were violated during investigations into the GHc1.3m gold scam.
The five, who were accused of playing various roles in the alleged gold scam were interdicted in March 2017.
An American company, Green Global Resources, accused DSP Basintale and four other officers of conspiring to steal some 13 gold bars from them.
Among the reliefs being sought by the officers, which have been sighted by Citi News, the five want the Inspector General of Police to revoke their interdiction if no disciplinary proceedings have been instituted against them.
They also want a declaration that no disciplinary proceedings were instituted against the applicants more that three months after their interdiction.
In addition, the five are seeking an order barring the police from conducting any more disciplinary proceedings against them.
They maintain that the IGP does not have the legal authority to extend the statutory three-month period within which to institute disciplinary proceedings. They contend that this would amount to abuse of office.
When they first threatened legal action, the five had previously held that the Ghana Police Service was perpetuating an illegality by purporting to hold a service enquiry in flagrant violation of C. I 76.
This gold scam case led to the interdiction of DSP Emmanuel Basintale, and four others, after they allegedly seized 13 gold bars from the firm under the pretext that they bought stolen gold. The group was believed to have been led by DSP Basintale.
The officers insisted they did not engage in any criminality “by any stretch of the legal and factual imagination.”
Meanwhile, the Police has told Citi News they have received the writ and are prepared to meet the five in court.
The Police Director Public Affairs, DSP Sheila Abayie Buckman, said at the moment, the police “want to uphold every legal principle, including the principle of subjudice such that, for any matter under judicial consideration, we will not be able to comment on it.”
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
