Cocaine Case: Prosecution pulls off another surprise

Accra, Dec. 5, GNA - The Prosecution in the trial of Kwabena Amaning, alias Tagor and Alhaji Issah Abbas at the Fast Track High Court in Accra for alleged drug-related offences took a dramatic turn on Tuesday when the Prosecution produced another suspect in the case as the First Prosecution Witness.

Kwabena Acheampong, who had been standing trial with the two accused persons, was produced as the First Prosecution Witness with the Defence team expressing surprise at the action.

This surprise move by the Prosecution followed the same step by the Prosecution on Monday when it produced 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, as a Prosecution Witness.

In that case Detective Sergeant Isaac Asante, who was originally standing trial with General Sergeant David Nyarko, Detective Lance Corporal Dwamena Yabson and General Lance Corporal Peter Bondorin, mounted the witness box to give evidence for the Prosecution. On Tuesday, Mr Ellis Owusu-Fodjour, one of the counsels for Tagor, said they were surprised at the action of the Prosecution. He said this was a summary trial and until Tuesday morning, 93we were of the belief that Acheampong was in the same boat with the accused persons.

=93They had been packaged in the same matter for the past three months,=94 he said.

Mr Owusu-Fodjour asked for an adjournment to have further consultations with their clients but the court overruled the application and stood down the case for one hour for the Defence team to consult with the accused.

Tagor and Abass, who were arrested after testifying at the Georgina Wood Committee, were remanded into Police custody last Monday when they appeared before the Fast Track High Court.

The two, who are alleged self-confessed drug barons, are jointly charged for conspiracy.

Tagor has additionally been charged for carrying out prohibited business relating to narcotic drugs, buying and supplying of narcotic drugs while Abass is also being held for carrying out prohibited business relating to narcotic drugs and supplying narcotic drugs. They pleaded not guilty and are expected to reappear on December 5. The case of the Prosecution is that the accused are self-confessed drug barons, who since 2004 have been actively engaged in activities of promoting and establishing various enterprises relating to narcotic drugs.

In the process, the accused persons purchased, supplied, paid and credited the drugs, which they further distributed outside and within the country.

The Prosecution said on April 26, 2006, MV Benjamin anchored in Tema breakwaters with 77 parcels of cocaine. However, 76 parcels were offloaded into two canoes, which landed at the Kpone beach in the Greater Accra Region.

The Prosecution said the news of the 76 parcels got to people of the underworld and even the security agencies also had wind of it. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Kofi Boakye invited them to a meeting in his house at Kanda in relation to the missing cocaine. At that meeting, the accused persons voluntarily confessed to their dealings in narcotic business and even boasted openly of previous activities.

The accused in the process also confessed openly that they had purchased drugs, supplied, credited and distributed drugs outside. The accused at ACP Kofi Boakye's house also agreed to locate the 76 parcels of cocaine seized and share it in furtherance of their business because the quantity of cocaine brought in by the MV Benjamin was too much for one person to enjoy.

The Government set up the Georgina Wood Committee to investigate some cocaine-related cases including the MV Benjamin case and alleged bribery of Senior Police Officers in a 588 kilos of the drug seized from some Venezuelans at East Legon in Accra.