By William Yaw Owusu
Tuesday, 13 March 2007
A prosecution witness in the case of six people charged for illegal importation of 77 parcels of cocaine yesterday told the Fast Track High Court that the agent of the M.V. Benjamin vessel, which carried the drug applied to sail to the high seas for trial and not to the Tema Port.
The witness, Captain James Owusu Koranteng, who is the Takoradi Harbour Master where the M.V. Benjamin set sail denied under cross examination that the vessel did not go to the high seas.
He said, "A ship will not plot a course of 12 nautical miles if it is not going to the high seas and more so they applied to go."
Captain Koranteng was testifying when the trial of the six, including the vessel owner, a Korean and two Chinese, resumed in Accra.
The vessel owner, Joseph Kojo Dawson, 34, Pak Pok Sil, the Korean engineer, Isaac Arhin, 49, Phillip Bruce Arhin, 49, mechanic and Cui Xian Li, 44, vessel engineer and Luo Yui Xing, 40, both Chinese, have been charged for the various roles they played in the importation of the cocaine to the Tema port.
They have all pleaded not guilty and are in prison custody.
Capt. Owusu, the sixth prosecution witness, said he did not know if the vessel was chartered, after defence counsel D. K. Ameley had suggested to him that Dashment Company Limited hired M.V. Benjamin to Atiko Fisheries Company Limited, represented by one Evans Charwetey on January 15, 2006.
"I do not know about any charter agreement. All I know is that the M.V. Benjamin left the Takoradi Port on March 9, 2005 to the high seas."
He said that he did not know whether it was the Captain of the vessel or the representative of the Dashment Company which signed the vessel’s movement card at the port.
Earlier, led in evidence by Mrs. Yvonne A. Obuobisah, a Senior State Attorney, Capt. Owusu told the court that he did not know any of the accused persons and it was Dashment Company which acted as its own agent.
He said the vessel berthed at the Takoradi Port on November 9, 2005 for repairs and was provided the usual services.
The witness told the court presided over by Appeal Court Judge, Annin Yeboah, that during the vessel’s stay at the port, the authorities dealt with them through their agent instead of the owner because "the ownership of a vessel could change but the new owner could decide to stick with the old agent.
He tendered in evidence various documents including the vessel’s movement card, receipts for booking, prefunding input card as well as receipts for water and electricity supplies.
He said that although he did not personally visit the vessel, his men got into contact with them when the vessel requested for 20 tonnes of water during their stay.
Answering further questions by another defence counsel James Agalga, witness said the pilot of the port interacts with the vessel’s captain to ascertain where the vessel is to sail before the captain informs the other crew members.
"I cannot tell if the Captain really briefed his crew about the destination", he said.
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