"I Took Grenades to BNI Armoury" - Witness

Detective Inspector Hanson Gove, seventh prosecution witness in the highway gold robbery case on Wednesday told the trial High Court that he took grenades which he found in the residence of the first accused person, RSM Jack Bebli, to the BNI armoury.

Led in evidence by Mr Anthony Gyambiby, Principal State Attorney, Inspector Gove, the investigator, told the court that he seized the grenades because Bebli could not produce any permit to cover them.

Witness said Bebli informed him that he took the grenades from the armoury of the Police Commando Unit.

Bebli and six others are on trial for their involvement in a highway robbery of eight gold bars valued at 2.4 billion cedis in 1999 at Gomoa Abotsia, near Apam Junction.

The other accused persons are Philip Asamoah, alias Agingo, Isaac Frimpong, alias Nii Baby Tei, Patrick Boakye Mprah, Ex-Corporal James Doli, Augustus Oko Odartey and Kofi Bokor, alias Kofi Bebli.

The gold, property of Amansie Resource in the Ashanti Region, was being transported to Accra on its behalf on February 16, 1999 when the robbers attacked the bullion van and made away with it.

The accused persons who face various charges of conspiracy to commit crime, abetment of crime, robbery and abetment of robbery, have pleaded not guilty.

Witness said during his investigations it came out that between January and February 1999, the accused persons held a series of meetings at the residence of Bebli, and planned to attack the bullion van on February 16, 1999.

He told the court that at one of those meetings, Asamoah hinted the rest that he would be driving the bullion van on that day and he would deliberately surrender in the course of the attack.

He said on the eve of the operation, Frimpong visited Asamoah at his workplace at the West Coast Allied Services, an Accra-based private security company that was to transport the gold bars, during which Asamoah confirmed that he would drive the bullion van.

Inspector Gove said Frimpong also informed Asamoah that due to ill health, Bebli would not be able to take part in the operation.

Witness said Mprah was picked at Nima, while Bokor and the soldiers on the run joined the group at Bebli's residence at New Achimota.

He said on the D-day, the accused persons drove to Yamoransa Junction in a convoy of three vehicles, made up of two Peugeot caravans and a Nissan Urvan bus belonging to Bebli.

Witness said at one of their meetings the accused persons resolved not to kill anybody during the operation. Their only intention was to rob. Hearing continues on Thursday.