Tagor, Others For Fast Track Court

By William Yaw Owusu

Friday, 24 November 2006
THE four suspect who are alleged to have knowledge about the disappearance of the 77 parcels of cocaine from the MV Benjamin vessel at the Tema Port will be arraigned before a Fast Track High Court in Accra next week.

Kwabena Amaning, alias Tagor, Alhaji Issah Abass, Kwabena Acheampong and Victor Kisseh also known as Yaw Billah, are facing four counts of conspiracy, engaging in prohibited business relating to narcotic drugs and establishing and promoting a narcotic drug-related enterprise.


Sources close to the Attorney General’s Department indicate that a “nolle prosequi” (unwillingness to pursue the case) application has been prepared for their discharge by the Accra Circuit Court, after which the police can re-arrest them and put them before the Fast Track Court.


The source said the suspects could have been brought for trial today, but for the fact that, the trial judge at the Circuit Court is still on his annual leave but added that the anomalies will be addressed for them to face trial next week.


Tagor, Abass and Acheampong were arrested on August 2, soon after testifying before the Justice Georgina Wood Committee that investigated the loss of the cocaine. Yaw Billah was picked up later. A fifth person, Kwadwo Ababio was discharged by the court on October 4 when the AG’s department said it was no more interested in the case.


Following their remand by the court, the four had appeared before the court on several occasions but on October 9 and November 3, the case could not be heard because the trial judge, M Kwame A. Asiedu, had still not returned from his annual leave.


According to the facts of the case as presented by the Deputy Superintendent of Police Abichab Boye at the start of the trial, sometime in November last year, the police had a tip-off about the arrival of a vessel, MV Benjamin, at the Tema Port with 78 parcels of cocaine.


However when the police raided the vessel, only one parcel was found on board.
Police investigations, later revealed that the other 77 parcels were removed from the vessel before the raid.


The accused persons were suspected to have knowledge about the missing cocaine parcels, DSP Boye said.