Prof Testifies For Exopa Boss

Prof Henry Augustine Brown Acquaye, a retired lecturer and researcher into narcotic substances, on Thursday testified for model and boss of Exopa Modeling Agency, Sima Ibrahim in an Accra Fast Track High Court, saying that the procedure used in testing the cocaine was “unprofessional and unscientific.”

At the court presided over by Justice Charles Quist where Sima is being accused of trying to export cocaine to Germany in two tubers of yam, the witness noted that the analysis of the cocaine made by the Ghana Standards Board left much to be desired as it did not state the specific method used to do the analysis.

The retired professor said these in his examination-in-chief led by James Agalga, counsel for Sima, and also said the equipment used in analyzing the substance should come only from the United Nations.

According to him, the specific method used in the analysis had not been clearly stated except that the method used was chromatography, adding that chromatography is a general term so the specific method, whether it was gas chromatography or something else, should have been stated in the report.

He said chromatography should not be the only method used in analysing any narcotic drug and stated that other methods should be used to verify results.

Professor Aquaye noted that the square root method which was used by the Standards Board in the analysis was not explanatory enough.

When Mr. Agalga asked him who in his opinion qualifies to analyse narcotic substances, the witness said “a graduate in science, preferably analytical chemistry”, so the person can understand the procedures of chemical composition.

The witness said for one to qualify as a narcotics drug analyst, one must be gazetted by the police or the relevant authorities.

When asked to explain how narcotics were tested, Prof. Acquaye noted that primarily, a chemical for testing cocaine was usually poured onto the substance and when the substance changed to blue, it meant that it had tested positive for cocaine.

However, Mr. Acquaye noted that not all substances which turned blue meant it was cocaine so other tests have to be carried out to ascertain whether it was really cocaine or not.

The chief state attorney, George Kwadwo Ofori, in examining the witness, asked if he had taken a look at the full report of the Standards Board; to which he answered in the negative.

The case has been adjourned to October 8, 2010.

Under cross-examination by Mr. Ofori, Sima admitted that he was not beaten and neither was a loaded gun pointed at him during his arrest, but stated that he lied about a certain Salifu just to prevent the police from applying force in his arrest. He said he had experienced the brutality of a security force when he was 17 years.

In reaction to a suggestion by the state attorney that no one could put 4.9 kg of cocaine into his bag between the time he checked in and the time he arrived to board the flight, Sima said his bag was abandoned while the others had been checked in and said the people who arrested him were the officers who he had problems with in February 2009.

He particularly singled out a certain officer, Mr. Shadrack, who he said might have an idea about what exactly happened to his bag. He also denied that he opened the bag in the presence of the security officers but said the lock of his luggage had been tampered with when he saw the bag.

When asked why he did not write about the fact that his lock was tampered with in his caution statement to the police, he said he knew he would have his time in court.

Sima testified that he made up a story about the alleged cocaine to prevent the security officers at the airport from using force to extract information from him.