Fresh Charges For 5 Suspects In Cocaine Case

By William Yaw Owusu

Friday, 03 November 2006
Fresh charges were yesterday preferred against the five men standing trial at the Greater Accra Regional Tribunal for their alleged involvement in the disappearance of 77 parcels of cocaine from the MV Benjamin vessel at the Tema port.

The accused, Joseph Kojo Dawson, a businessman; Asem Darke also called Sheriff, Freeman Sosi, a mechanic, Evans Charmetey Tsekobi, a fisherman and Alhaji Moro Mohammed, a businessman now face five counts conspiracy, use of property for narcotic offence and abetment.

Originally they were charged with abetment, conspiracy and the importation of narcotic drugs.

Sheriff is at large and Moro has been hospitalised.

The charges were read to the remaining three who were in court, but the tribunal, presided over by Justice Frank Manu did not take their pleas and remanded them into prison custody until November 17.

Their counsel did not oppose the prosecution’s request for the accused to be remanded but urged the tribunal to make specific orders to the prosecution to read the facts of the case at the next adjourned date. However the judge declined, explaining that the prosecution needed to be given time to work on their case.

Asking for the accused persons to be remanded, Getrude Aikins, a Chief State Attorney said the police needed to conduct thorough investigations into the matter before the facts of the case could be read.

"The accused persons are being held on reasonable suspicion and may abscond if they are granted bail", she said.

She said parliament saw the need to amend Act 714 to make it impossible for narcotic suspects to get bail because "our country is in danger of the influx of narcotic drugs and we are acting swiftly to salvage the situation."

Ms. Aikins argued that the nature of the case was such that "you cannot conclude investigations within a short period. We are dealing with people who know the kind of business they are dealing in."

She said the police had used the best techniques to come this far, adding "we have done the best we can and before November ends we will make a breakthrough."

One of the defence counsel, Willie Amarfio, criticised the prosecution for using the courts as a conduit to incarcerate their clients unlawfully.

After the court’s proceedings, attacks against journalists covering the case reared their ugly head once again when sympathisers and family members of the accused persons almost assaulted them.

The assailants, numbering about 15, subjected the journalist to threats and insults and not even the presence of police could deter them.

Justice James B. Benson, a high court judge who saw the scene on his way out of his office, quickly escorted the journalists to a safe place.