Policeman in cocaine case turns prosecution witness

Accra, Dec.4, GNA - A policeman who was standing trial with his colleagues for allegedly allowing Asem Dake, alias Sheriff, to cart 75 parcels of cocaine from MV Benjamin into two canoes at Kpone, near Tema, on Monday mounted the witness box as a prosecution witness. Detective Sergeant Isaac Asante was originally standing trial with General Sergeant David Nyarko, Detective Lance Corporal Dwamena Yabson and General Lance Corporal Peter Bondorin.

A fourth policeman, Detective Sergeant Samuel Amoah, is on the run. He jumped bail after an Accra Regional Tribunal granted bail to him and his accomplices.

Nyarko, Yabson and Bondorin are now being held on charges of prohibited business and corruption by public officer. They pleaded not guilty before the fast Track High Court that remanded them into custody to reappear on December 5.

Detective Sergeant Asante's new role in the case made it difficult for Mr Musah Ahmed, his former counsel, who is also defending General Sergeant Nyarko, to cross-examine him.

Mr Ahmed informed the court that considering the information Detective Sergeant Asante had given him, it would be improper for him to cross-examine.

The court, presided over by Mr Justice Anin Yeboah, as Appeals Court Judge, sitting with additional responsibility as a High Court Judge, suggested that he allowed another counsel to do the cross-examination.

Mounting the witness box, Detective Sergeant Asante told the Court that at about 0630 hours on April 26 this year, he was in the house when he was told by Yabdon that some people were off-loading drugs along the Kpone beach.

Detective Sergeant Asante, who was led in evidence by Mr Agyeman Duodo, Principal State Attorney, said he together with Bondorin and Yabson proceeded to the beach.

At the beach Nyarko, who was stationed at Tema Newtown, also arrived.

After positioning himself on a hill close to the beach, he saw a blue-black four-wheel drive parked on the beach. He said since Bondorin, Yabson and himself were in police uniform, he asked Nyarko to move to the vehicle.

Detective Sergeant Asante said though the vehicle was about 150 metres away, he did not see it carry anything. However, he instructed that they should cross the vehicle, when it began driving from the beach.

Detective Sergeant Asante said he and Bondorin as well as Yabson left in a taxicab and Nyarko who was in plain clothes proceed to the moving four-wheel vehicle.

On reaching the Kpone Police station, he alighted to drink water but on his return Yabson and Bondorin left in the taxi. He therefore reported at the Police Station Counter at Kpone and made entries.

Under cross-examination by Mr Bernard Ahiafor, counsel for Bondorin, Detective Sergeant Asante said Bondorin told him that they did not find anything.

He denied that he took some money from the accused persons. Quizzing him on why he should alight from the vehicle during an important exercise, Detective Sergeant Asante said there was no water around.

According to him, he drinks water early in the morning but on that day he did not drink any water. He therefore had to drink water on his return.

He denied that he was not being truthful to the court. The case of the prosecution is that in the earlier hours of April 26, this year MV Benjamin arrived on the high seas of Tema. The vessel was carrying 77 parcels of cocaine imported by one Sheriff Asem Dake. Soon after the vessel arrived, the parcels of cocaine were offloaded unto two canoes, which sailed to Kpone Beach, near Tema. Some fishermen who spotted the canoes became suspicious and called the owner of the canoes.

The owner of the canoes and others informed Sergeant Amoah who was stationed at Tema Newtown. He in turn mobilized the other accused persons and they proceeded to Kpone Beach.

At the beach, the accused persons looked on until Asem Dake offloaded the drugs into a four-wheel vehicle.

The accused persons then followed the vehicle to Tema where Dake gave them some money and they failed to arrest him.