Mr Sam George, the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram on Monday denied the report by National Security that he went to the La-Bawaleshie Polling Station in a convoy of motorbikes during the January 31, Ayawaso West Wuogon parliamentary by-election.
He said he neither arrived there with motorbikes nor in the company of Mr Alfred Oko Vanderpuye.
Testifying before the Emile Short Commission at the Christianborg Castle, he said any claim by anybody to the contrary, was pure fabrication.
The Commission has been inquiring into the violent incident that occurred near the La-Bawaleshie polling station, which left a number of people injured, and held up voting at the station for about 40 minutes.
In the heat of the confusion, the Ningo-Prampram MP was assaulted by operatives of the National Security.
Mr. George told the Commission that he had met his colleague MP, Mr. Oko Vanderpuye, at the Legon Campus but not at Bawaleshie and that was at about 0645 hours.
The testimonies by some witnesses earlier that “I was asked by Mr. Oko Vanderpuye to leave the scene with the motorbikes” could therefore not be true.
He also flatly denied going to the house of his party’s candidate for the by-election, Mr. Delali Brempong, which was said to have been put under surveillance by the National Security, with motorbike riders.
“It has been said I went into the house under surveillance with the motor-bikers, but I did not even know the residence of Mr Delali Brempong was behind the polling station.”
He added that he did not make any provocative statements to warrant the physical attack on him.
“My Lord, we all swore an oath, before we give our testimony, to tell nothing but the truth. I state without a provocation that what had been written and signed by DSP Samuel Kojo Azugu is untrue and a fabrication.
“He was not present when the altercation happened. He had reported what had been reported to him. I am stating what I was actively involved in.
“If the Commission is minded, it can hand that tape to an audio forensic to not just listen to what I said, but read my lips.”
Mr George identified the National Security Operative, who assaulted him as one Mohammed Sule.
He said prior to him being assaulted, he was only asking the National Security Operative (Mohammed Sule) whether he was a police officer or a party agent.
He stated that he was assaulted by two National Security operatives – one of them slapped him in the face, while the other punched him at the back of his neck.
Mr George would be appearing again before the Commission on Tuesday, February 26 at 1000 hours to be cross-examined by the Commissioners.
source: Ghana News Agency
