Motive for arrest of retired US General deepens

Motive for arrest of retired US General deepens
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, Ghanadot

Accra, Sept 17, Ghanadot - There has been a sharp dispute over the arrest of a 72-year-old retired General of the United States (US) Air Force for allegedly filming two nude women in his hotel room in Accra, Ghana's capital.

This controversy is within the Ghana Police Service over the real motive behind the retired General's arrest.

It is reported in the state media (Daily Graphic) that, General James Kellim before his arrest had lodged a complaint against a Ghanaian businesswoman, known as Patience Boateng, who is being prosecuted for defrauding the General of over $50,000.

The arrest of the embattled US General has raised some eye browse within the country's Police Service that it could be a strategy by some individuals to mastermind the prosecution of Madam Boateng.

However, the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), DCOP Frank Adu-Poku, has vehemently ordered the service to free General Kellim from the police cells, saying he suspected a foul play in the issue.

Indeed, the US retired General was arrested by the Police on last Tuesday however his arrest generated serious dispute and acrimony within the police service.

This, according to service was planned to terminate the case against Madam Boateng, a manageress of a hotel in Accra, who has been charged with using the retired General's ATM card to withdraw colossal sums of money from his account.

When the case was set for prosecution, Madam Boateng petitioned the Police Intelligence and Professional Standards Bureau (PIPS) against illegal arrest, this made the PIPS to direct the Commercial Crime Unit (CCU) of the CID to put a hold on the investigations and prosecution.

Additionally, the Director-General in charge of the Legal and Prosecutions of the service, DCOP James Oppong-Buanuh disclosed that he directed the prosecution of the suspect in the case against Madam Boateng.

Some senior officers of the service expressed their anger over why the PIPS did not refer the matter to right unit to conduct investigations into but revealing the information first to the media.

Although, they said PIPS could have effected the arrest, the unit should have given the case to different unit to probe, adding since the PIPS was an internal professional investigative body to deal with the conduct of police personnel and but not criminal issues involving civilians.

The Counsel for General Kellim, Mr. Joe Debrah indicted that the conduct of personnel who affected the arrest of his client had cast a slur on the image Ghana Police Service.

He added that "This is not the Ghana Police Service but some individuals in a private effort under the guise of public duty to torpedo the real case. These are the things that impugn the name of the police".

Mr. Debrah further added that when the PIPS wrote to the CCU to withhold the prosecutions, they petitioned the Inspector General of Police in a Semptember 8, 2009 statement expressing mishaps about the instructions of PIPS.

According to him, the IGP's attention was drawn to the fact that it was only the Attorney-General who could enter a Nolle Prosequi, since the case was a felony one.

A renowned Lawyer and a Criminologist, Professor Ken Attafuah, described the arrest and media publication of the sordid incident as a morbid story.

He emphasized that Gen Kellim had not yet produced any pornographic material and sold or distributed it for commercial gains as frowned by the law.

Touching on the involvement of the state in the case, Prof. Attafuah stressed that the state had no business in the bedroom of anyone, including a hotel room, where sexual promiscuity activities took place.

Ghanadot