?Coup plotters? granted bail

Accra, July 5, GNA - Five persons, who are facing various charges in connection with the uncovering of a large quantity of firearms and ammunition, were on Tuesday each granted 500 million cedis bail with a surety to be justified.

The five are being tried in two separate cases before Mr Kwabena O. Beecham at an Accra Circuit Court.

In the first case, the Court granted bail to Mohammed Abdullai Umar Atakora, a telephone bill distributor and Ernest Adorsoo, a student. The two, who are charged with conspiracy and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, have pleaded not guilty.

In the second case, three other persons believed to be connected to the first crime, namely Ransford Dotse, an artist, Togbe Asimanu, a clearing agent and Alhaji Mustapha, a businessman and a butcher were admitted to a 500 million-cedi bail each with surety to be justified. They have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and abetment of crime.

At the last sitting the court discharged Seth Kumako, self-employed, following the Prosecution's submission to the court that he should be discharged.

Two members of the group - Maxwell Kudjoe Ketsi, a welder and Agaga Ekwiey - are still at large.

The Prosecutor, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Patrick Adusei Sarpong, prayed the Court to remand the accused persons because the offence was an indictable one.

Defence Counsel, however, prayed the Court to admit their client to bail since they had been incarcerated for a long time. According to Counsel, the offences levelled against the accused were those that the Court in its own wisdom could exercise its discretion.

The Court admitted them to bail to reappear on August 3.

The accused persons are to report every Tuesday to the Police. CSP Sarpong said on June 2, 2005, a combined team of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) acting on a tip-off mounted an operation to round up members of the alleged group, who were preparing to procure arms.

He said during the exercise, three suspects were arrested in a Ford Mondeo saloon car with registration number GR 9908 T at Asylum Down in Accra but two of them escaped.

He said when the vehicle was searched 36 AK-47 assault rifles, 10 pistols, three boxes of ammunition and 74 packets of pistol ammunition were found.

The rest were one box of hand grenade, an amount of 25 million cedis and two bags of rice.