<<Print>>A team of police investigators are leading the chairman of the National Democratic Congress, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo to his residence in Accra to pick up his mobile phone.
Interrogators demanded for his mobile phone as part of evidence gathering in the ongoing investigations into a leaked audiotape he is said to have allegedly threatened insecurity in the country.
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo was on Monday arrested and given what his lawyers say are “probable charges of conspiracy to cause harm, threatening harm, rioting and assaulting public officer after he reported himself to the Police CID for a marathon interrogation.
He has since this evening granted a 400,000-cedi police bail with two sureties, and is to report again at the Police CID on Thursday March 7 for further questioning.
Mr Ofosu-Ampofo told interrogators the tape, which has since last week Wednesday gone viral, has been doctored hence declined to answer questions on it.
A 31-minute version of the said audiotape was played to Mr Ofosu-Ampofo after which he was asked if that was his voice on the tape, but declined to answer, a member of legal team Abraham Amaliba told TV3 on News360. “I do not want to want to comment on this tape, it is doctored,” Abraham Amaliba quoted Ofosu-Ampofo as having said.
The investigators, according to Amaliba, demanded for Mr Ofosu-Ampofo’s mobile phone but the suspect told them it was not with him at the time.
Ofosu-Ampofo was said to have explained to the investigators that he did not carry his phone to the police CID headquarters knowing he was not going to be allowed to receive or make calls while being interrogated.
Amaliba said as lawyers, they advised Ofosu-Ampofo to surrender the phone for which reason it was agreed with the investigators to follow him to his home for the mobile phone to be picked up for the investigation.
An audiotape said to have been recorded at a meeting of NDC communicators leaked last Wednesday with a voice purported to be that of Mr Ofosu-Ampofo encouraging the party executives to unleash attack on the EC chair, President Akufo-Addo and the chairman of the National Peace Council.
The party issued a statement Thursday state the said audiotape was doctored and accused the government and national security operatives of bugging the party’s headquarters.
The Police CID consequently invited Ofosu-Ampofo for questioning claiming the alleged comments has security implications. The party chair however failed to honour the invitation on Friday claiming he did not receive any formal communication from the Police.
Reports emerged at the weekend that the Police was working to secure a warrant for the arrest of Ofosu-Ampofo but the before that could be done, he reported himself Monday. For 10 hours, Mr Ofosu-Ampofo and his legal team were camped at the Police CID headquarters. Officials of the Police CID were initially said to have engaged in feet-dragging as they gave excuses to delay the interrogation.
NDC supporters who suspected what they claimed to be a deliberate ploy to detain their party chair, started gathering at the Police CID headquarters to push for his release.
By 5:00pm Monday, hundreds of supporters had thronged the place with a lot more still arriving, but the Police were on high alert to quell any untoward act by the crowd.
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