NOAMESI A. KODZO AND GHANA POLICE SERVICE [2009]DLCHRAJ5971

Date	2009-02-27
Suit No.	Our Res. CHRAJ/1156/2001/247
Citation No.	[2009]DLCHRAJ5971

JOSEPH WHITTAL

[2009]DLCHRAJ5971
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B050">NOAMESI A. KODZO<o:p></o:p>(COMPLAINANT)<o:p></o:p>AND<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
color:#00B050">GHANA POLICE SERVICE<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>(CHRAJ)<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.0pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:
none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext .5pt;padding:0in;
mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 1.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">Our Res. CHRAJ/1156/2001/247&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 27-2-2009<o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center;
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padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 1.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes">SUMMARY DECISION<o:p></o:p>

</div>INTRODUCTION<o:p></o:p>In the complaint dated 16th
February 2001, the Complainant petitioned against his dismissal and the
Inspector General of Police for influencing his appeal which was before the
Police Council.<o:p></o:p>FACTS<o:p></o:p>According to the Complainant, he was an Assistant Superintendent
of Police then stationed at the Manso Nkwanta in the Ashanti Region. On 18th
December 1997, whilst on four days pass, he drove the Service vehicle No. GP
749 from Manso Nkwanta to Likpe-Bala in the Volta Region to attend to the
funeral rites of his late uncle, Chief Inspector B.K.E. Ayiti (Rtd)<o:p></o:p>On the way back to Agbozome,
the vehicle got involved in an accident. The vehicle was fowed to the Service
workshop and an amount of ¢2,050,000.00 was spent in putting it back in shape.<o:p></o:p>The Complainant admitted the offence when he appeared before the
Police Investigation Panel on Wednesday, 29th April 1998 and pleaded guilty to
the 3 counts of misconduct. He was consequently convicted on his own plea. The
panel recommended that he should be severely reprimanded, debarred from ever
holding a Police Driving Permit and any increments due him be withheld from two
(2) years.<o:p></o:p>Lastly, it was recommended that he pays for the total cost of
repairs on the vehicle totalling ¢2,050,000.00. However, the Service pushed
aside the recommendations of the panel and proceeded to dismiss him.<o:p></o:p>He appealed to the Inspector
General of Police on the dismissal who in turn directed that he redirects his
appeal to the Police Council. He obliged by redirecting the appeal to the
Police Council on 7th September 1998, but the appeal was rejected.<o:p></o:p>The Complainant contested that contrary to the provision in
Section 20(6) of the Police Service (Amendment) Decree 1974, NRCD 303, which
bars the Inspector General from sitting as a member on appeals brought before
the Council, he was reliably informed that the Inspector General sat on his
appeal.<o:p></o:p>He petitioned the Commission
to intervene, as he believes that the presence of the Inspector General on the
appeal influenced the decision that led to the rejection of his appeal for
leniency.<o:p></o:p>OBSERVATION<o:p></o:p>Though the Commission initially accepted the complaint, it is
evident that the complaint was lodged out of time. The incident occurred in
1998 and the complaint was lodged three years after (16th February 2001).<o:p></o:p>DECISION<o:p></o:p>Considering the length of time
between the date of the alleged wrong (1998) and the date of the petition to
the Commission (16th February 2001), the complaint is deemed time barred.<o:p></o:p>The Commission therefore,
declines investigations into the complaint in accordance with Section 13(2)(a)
of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice Act, 1993 (Act
456) which states as follows:<o:p></o:p>