By William Yaw Owusu
Wedneday,April 25,2007
POLICE Detective Inspector Charles Adaba, the investigator in the case of the three policemen standing trial over the missing 76 parcels of cocaine yesterday told an Accra Fast Track High Court t hat the accused persons witnessed the loading of the cocaine into a van at the Kpone Beach by Sheriff Asem Darke and his men.
Insp. Adaba, who is the 10th Prosecution witness told the court that after the loading the policemen satin Sheriff’s Land Cruiser vehicle and drove to his residence at Community 5 in Tema to collect an undisclosed amount and left him off the hook.
He was giving evidence in the case involving Sergeant David Nyarko and Lance Corporals Dwamena Yabson and Peter Bundorin, who are charged in connection with the missing cocaine brought into the country on April 25, last year, by the MV Benjamin vessel.
Another policeman, Detective Sergeant Samuel Yaw Amoah escaped soon after he was granted bail by an Accra Circuit Court in September last year.
The accused, all with the Tema Regional Police Command, have pleaded not guilt y to two count s of engaging in prohibited business related to narcotic drugs and corruption by a public officer.
They are currently in police custody.
Led in evidence by Emmanuel Agyemang Duodu, a Principal State Attorney, Insp. Adaba told the court that when the MV Benjamin anchored at the breakwaters of the Tema Port, 76 out of the 77 parcels of cocaine on board were offloaded into two boats which sped off to the Kpone area in the early honours of April 26 last year.
He said some fishermen who observed, the incident, tried to find out what was on board the two boats but an occupant of one boat fired a warning shot t o scare them off.
“The fishermen then phoned the owner of the boat, who together with two others, went to the Tema New Town Police Station to report the matter and they met Amoah who also organized Nyarko and Yabson to follow t hose carrying the cocaine along the Paradise Beach,” Insp. Adaba said.
He said the policemen were informed at the beach that the boats had changed their course to the Kpone Beach.
“Yabson and a fisherman, Joe, then joined a taxi to the Kpone Police Station to seek reinforcement while Amoah, Nyarko and the other fishermen walked along the beach to meet them.”
Insp. Adaba said the duty officer at Kpone asked Sgt. Isaac Asante and Buudorin to join Yabson to arrest t hose with the cocaine.
“Yabson at the beach positioned Bundorin who was not wearing a uniform but had an AK-47 rifle at a point and walked with Joe to Sheriff’s car which was parked together with a Daewoo saloon car and a van in which the cocaine was packed,” he said.
He said investigations revealed that Amoah and Nyarko together with Yabson, had a chat with Sheriff while the cocaine was being loaded into the van.
“After loading the cocaine, the policeman called the fisherman and they all sat in Sheriff’s car and drove of in a convoy to Tema Community 54”.
He said on their way Bundorin crossed the convoy with a taxi, determined to arrest them but Amoah convinced him to follow them in the taxi to Tema.
Inspector Adaba said the van took the lead, followed by the Daewoo car driven by a Korean called ‘Killer’ who is also wanted by the police, and then Sheriff’s car.
He told the court that at Community 5, Bundorin waited outside Sheriff’s house while the others went in.
He further said Sheriff left them in the house ands came back later to give the accused persons an unspecified amount.
“After collecting the money’ the accused together with the fishermen drove to the Tema Oil Refinery area and where they gave 10,000 dollars to the fishermen and left with Joe”.
He said when the case docket was given to him in October last year to continue with investigations, he went to the DVLA where he found that the Land Cruiser belong to Sheriff while the document covering the Daewoo car was forged.”
“The car that ‘; Killer’ used had a registration number that belong to a different car. The car’s registration was in the name of the Korean Embassy.”
He said investigations revealed that all the accused persons owned cars and that of Nyarko was bought in July last year, adding, “I have cause to believe that Nyarko bought it from the proceeds of the money Sheriff gave them.”
He told the court that he took charge statements from the accused persons but they refused to give further charge statements later on.
He also said Amoah admitted in his statement that they collected money from Sheriff and his share was 3,000 dollars.
The court, presided over by Justice Annin Yeboah, adjourned proceedings until May 3, for Musah Ahmed, counsel for the policemen, to cross-examine Inspector Adaba.
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