Osei's urine tests positive of Cocaine

Accra, Dec. 21, GNA - A laboratory test conducted on Thomas Osei, 51, the man in the centre of the President's car accident proved positive of narcotic substances in his urine.

This came to light when Osei on Friday made his maiden appearance before an Accra Fast Track Court charged with a fresh and additional offence of the use of narcotic drugs.

Osei, a businessman is now being held on five counts of motor traffic offences and one new drug related offence, on dangerous driving, negligently causing harm, driving under the influence of alcohol, failing to give way to Presidential siren and the use of narcotic drugs.

The President escaped unhurt.

He pleaded not guilty to all the charges levelled against him. The court, presided over by Justice Emmanuel Ayebi, remanded him into police custody to reappear on January 7, 2008. Mr. Kwame Boafo Akkufo, Counsel for Osei told the court that, his client accidentally drove into the Presidential convoy and had not targeted the President's vehicle.

"Our position of the matter is totally different ... and that the accused was not aware that the President was coming neither did he hear the siren was that of the president's. We cannot say for sure".

Mr Akuffo prayed the court to grant his client bail since there was no evidence to show that there was a motor driver blocking the road and that the intersection was free.

Mr Akuffo was of the view that certain foods that people eat reacted to alcohol and that the body fluid of his client was not the use of a narcotic drug, saying that, "It is a dangerous position for prosecution to take, there was no independent witness in the test".

He said Osei had been in custody for the past 36 days and that his continual incarceration infringed upon his fundamental human rights.

Mr. Akuffo told the court that his client was a responsible man and that he was in-charge of the construction of the Yarmoransa road.

The Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, (DPP) Ms. Gertrude Aikins prayed the court to remand Osei in custody as investigations were not complete and he might interfere with the security aspect of the case.

Ms Aikins said this was the first time in the history of this country that someone had ran into the president's car and there was the need to investigate whether there was a plot or not, saying that the accused person as well as the President needed protection and justice.

Ms. Aikins asked, "what if the President would have died?"

"We want the truth to come out and need time to investigate the security aspect of the matter."

Osei's vehicle on November 14, this year hit President Kufuor's car on the Liberation Link, near Opeibea House. The President escaped unhurt.

The facts of the case as presented by prosecution were that, at about 1030 hours on November 14, Osei, who was driving a Mercedes Benz SE 500 saloon car with registration number GT 2989 W was in the inner lane along the South Liberation Link from AFGO towards the 37th Military Hospital.

When he arrived at the Opeibea traffic light, he ignored the siren of the Presidential convoy and drove straight into the rear offside portion of the President's Mercedes Benz 550 saloon car.

The Prosecution said the impact forced the President's vehicle to spin around and hit a light pole on the central reserve.

The President's vehicle fell on its right side and landed on a VW Golf saloon car with registration number GW 8750 K driven by Pastor Ken Joe Osei Kufuor, who was driving from the 37th Military Hospital causing harm to him as well as the President's driver, Mr Osafo Addo.