Suspected murderer, kidnapper refused bail

Tamale, July 11, GNA - Mr. Justice Victor C. Doegah, a Supervising High Court Judge in Tamale, on Wednesday refused to grant bail to Abdul-Samed Seidu, a chemical engineer resident in Canada, who is standing trial in a case involving the disappearance of a man in Tamale since May 14. Seidu is charged with kidnapping and murder.

The judge said the circumstances surrounding the case gave the court good reasons to deny the accused bail.

Mr Doegah said the accused travelled to Accra under a false name, changed his airline ticket date and attempted to escape and that these were some of the factors the court took into consideration in refusing him bail.

Also, the accused was found to be in possession of some items belonging to the man who had disappeared.

Nana Adjei Ampofo, counsel for the accused, told the court that the charge of kidnapping and murder could not be justified because the police had not provided evidence that the victim was dead. He argued that the police in one breath said the victim was kidnapped and in another said the victim was murdered, indicating uncertainties in their investigations.

Opposing the motion for bail Mr. Salia Abdul-Qudus, a State Attorney, told the court that the accused possessed one Ghanaian and two Canadian passports, making him a citizen of Canada. He said under such circumstance, if bail was granted, he could seek refuge in the Canadian High Commission in Ghana or any neighbouring country where Canada has a mission.

Mr Abdul-Qudus said the accused also made efforts to leave Ghana through unapproved travelling procedure including bringing his return ticket date forward to facilitate his exit from the country. The State Attorney had told the court that on May 10 the accused arrived in Tamale and stayed with the friend at Kalpohin Estate. A misunderstanding arose between them over the value of a building project that the accused had asked the victim to undertake on his behalf.

Mr. Abdul-Qudus said the victim disappeared on May 14 and when his relatives contacted the accused about his whereabouts, the accused told them that he did not know where the friend was.