Pay my passage from UK and I will testify - Ndego

Accra, Aug. 23, GNA - Mr. Ben Ndego, former Head of Operations at the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), who was subpoenaed by an Accra Fast Track High Court to testify in a drug-related case, has agreed to testify for the defence if it would pay his travelling expenses from the UK.

Mr. Ndego, who has been interdicted, is said to be pursuing his education in the United Kingdom.

These were contained in a letter from Dery and Co., solicitors of Mr Ndego to the Registrar of the Court with copy to Mr Mohammed Attah, Counsel for Alhaji Issah Abass, who is standing trial with Kwabena Amaning, aka Tagor for a drug-related offence.

Mr. Ndego is alleged by Abass to be the authority behind the recording of a meeting held at ACP Kofi Boakye's residence. Mr Attah expressed shock at the letter, wondering whether if an official who had been interdicted could be allowed to travel outside the country.

According to him, Mr Ndego could only be allowed if he sought permission from NACOB, adding that his action constituted an attempt to rip them off assistance.

He therefore prayed the court, presided over by Mr Justice Victor Jones Dotse to request NACOB to recall Mr Ndego.

However, the court said it had no jurisdiction to do so, adding that there had not been any letter stating that Mr Ndego had been interdicted. "We have only seen that in the papers. We have not been officially informed."

The court therefore granted the defence team 10 minutes break to inform it of what they intended to do.

After the break, Mr Attah told the court that he would confer with the solicitors of Mr Ndego and inform the court on the agreed terms and prayed for a week's adjournment.

The court urged Mr Attah to take concrete steps to ensure that they got Mr Ndego.

"You should be able to get the plane fare and produce photocopies of fares to the court else I will compel you to close your case." Earlier, Mr Kingsley Manteaw, aka Golu, the fifth defence witness took his turn to testify for Abass.

Abass alleged that he contracted Manteaw and Nana Yaw to assist in tracking down Sheriff Asem Dake, aka Limping Man, who was said to be behind the importation of the 77 missing parcels of cocaine on board MV Benjamin.

Led in evidence by Mr Attah, Manteaw who was brought from custody, narrated to the court the role he played to assist the police to nab Sheriff.

Manteaw said last year, he was in the house when he received a call from Abass to come to his office at Community 11 in Tema. He said when he got there, he met Abass and some security personnel he believed were from the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI). The fifth defence witness said he saw Abass in handcuffs and he (Abass) pleaded with him to assist the police to arrest Sheriff and Killer.

Based on the plea of Abass, he obliged and called in Nana Yaw, the fourth defence witness, to assist.

Manteaw said while Abass offered him and Nana Yaw two million cedis, the police also gave them two mobile phones which were to be used in communicating to the Police information about Sheriff and Killer. The Police included one Sule, Mohammed, Detective Inspector Charles Adaba, the investigator in the case, Nana Justice Oppong and one man with big belly. He said the police promised him and Manteaw 40 million cedis each should they help them to arrest Sheriff.

"As a first step, Nana Yaw and I went to Killer's wife house at Kpone and later she was picked up by Police," witness said. Defence Witness said a week later, Nana Yaw had information that Sheriff was attending a funeral at Ada.

Manteaw said he and Nana Yaw alerted the police who in turn followed up to Ada.

At the funeral grounds witness said he saw Sheriff and his body guard. The police, who had earlier taken positions at the funeral ground, asked them to wait.

According to the witness, the Police said they would arrest Sheriff as soon as he (Sheriff) boarded his four-wheel vehicle. While waiting at a drinking spot, they saw Sheriff drive past them and when the Police chased him they could not get him. The behaviour of the policemen, witness said, irritated him, adding that they failed to give him the 40 million cedis and they took away their mobile phone.

Answering questions under cross-examination by Ms Gertrude Aikins, the Acting Director for Public Prosecution (DPP), Manteaw admitted that he was not in custody because of Abass's case.

Witness said he was in custody because he had been picked up the Police as a suspect in the murder of Nii Kwartei Quartey in Tema. When asked of the whereabouts of his car, he said it had been impounded by the Police in Tema.

He told the court that the car had been impounded because he was using a foreign number plate but he managed to get it through the assistance of two boys, who asked him to pay one million cedis. Witness said the boys agreed that he should meet them at the end of the Motorway for his car and as soon as he gave the money out the Police arrested him for his alleged involvement in the murder of Nii Quartey. He maintained that Detective Inspector Adaba was among the Police officers who went to arrest Sheriff.

Witness denied that his evidence were lies meant to rescue Abass from the long arms of the law.

He said he had been in custody since July 27. At Wednesday's sitting the court ordered the Tema Regional Police Command to produce Kingsley Manteaw Gonu in the court to enable him to testify for Alhaji Issah Abass

Abass, 54, and Tagor, 34, described by the prosecution as self-confessed drug barons, are jointly charged for conspiracy and are being tried for drug-related offences. Abass is also being held for carrying out prohibited business relating to narcotic drugs and supplying narcotic drugs while Tagor has additionally been charged for carrying out prohibited business relating to narcotic drugs, buying and supplying of narcotic drugs. They have pleaded not guilty and the court has remanded them in prison custody.

The case of the prosecution is that the accused are self-confessed drug barons, who since 2004, had been actively engaged in activities of promoting and establishing various enterprises relating to narcotic drugs. Hearing continues on August 29.