Court orders registrar to furnish defence lawyers in the Ashaley Botwe murder case with list of jurors

The Criminal Division of the High Court in Accra has ordered the Registrar to furnish a list of jurors to be empaneled to the lawyers of Safina Mohammed Adizatu, a lady accused of the murder of one Frank Kofi Osei at Ashaley Botwe.

This was after her lawyer, Samuel Alesu Dordzi made the request before the Court presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo.

The accused lawyer (Samuel Alesu Dordzi) told the court that, their request was on the basis that, ACT 30 requires an accused person to mount a challenge to certain jurors for cause.

He further explained that the ACT sets out those who qualify and those who do not qualify to act as jurors. He also added that it is their contention that the accused is unable to exercise these challenges, which are available to her under law, without prior disclosure of the list of potential jurors before the empanelling takes place.

Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, the presiding judge, after listening to the request, directed the court registrar to furnish the lawyer with the list of jurors he would be inviting to appear before the court as ordered.

She further directed that that should be done before the next adjourned date.

Safina Mohammed Adizatu is standing trial for the alleged murder of Frank Kofi Osei, a Ghanaian who was residing in Canada in 2022.

The facts of the case as presented by the prosecution is that, on July 24, 2022, the deceased (Frank Kofi Osei), who was on vacation from Canada, visited his girlfriend, the accused (Safina), to spend the night.

The prosecution said that during the night, Safina and other accomplices allegedly stabbed him with a knife and strangled him. Osei's cold blood was allegedly cleaned up by Safina and her accomplices while the body was in the room for 24 hours.

The prosecution further stated that Safina (accused) and his accomplices dragged the deceased (Frank Osei) from the floor of the storey building on the staircase and dumped it at the gate of the house where the accused had parked his car.

The accused, Safina, is alleged to have called the police, claiming that his boyfriend, who visited her, had died in her room. When the police got to the scene, they saw the body lying at the gate of Safina's house.

On another note, contrary to social media reports that, the accused (Safina) committed suicide last year, she was present in court today, Tuesday January 23, 2024.

The case has been adjourned to February 27, 2024