Trial Of 5 Postponed

By William Yaw Owusu

Saturday, 19 August 2006
SCORES of curious people who thronged the 28th February Road (Cocoa Affairs) Court yesterday to witness the trial of the five alleged cocaine dealers, had to leave disappointed because the circuit court did not sit after all.

The five, Kwabena Amaning, also called Tagor, Issa Abass, Kwabena Acheampong, Kwadwo Ababio and Victor Kisseh, alias Yaw Billah, charged in connection with the disappearance of cocaine from an impounded fishing vessel at the Tema Port, were due to make their second appearance.

The court could not sit because the judge was said to be attending a seminar for judges.

The courtroom which was virtually empty became suddenly full at about 10.35 am when news broke that the accused persons were being brought to court.

When the accused persons entered the courtroom at exactly 10.40 am, under heavy police escort, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Abichab Boye, the prosecutor, requested that the case be mentioned.

The court clerk after mentioning it, announced “Your case has been adjourned to August 24, because the judge is not in.”

Tagor, Abass, Acheampong and Ababio were arrested on August 2, after a sitting of the Justice Wood Committee investigating the disappearance of the cocaine on MV Benjamin.

They had gone to testify at the committee hearing. Kisseh was arrested later by the police.

At their first appearance on August 4, the police preferred provisional charges including acting together to import narcotic drugs and establishing and promoting enterprises relating to narcotic drugs.

They were remanded into police custody.
DSP Boye told the court that sometime in November last year, the police had information about the arrival of a vessel at the Tema Port with 78 large parcel of cocaine.

However, when the police searched the vessel only one parcel was found.

Police investigation later revealed that the other 77 parcels were removed from the vessel before the police undertook the search and the accused persons were suspected as having knowledge about the missing drugs.