Ndego fails to appear in court

Ben Ndego was the Head of Operations of the NACOB

By William Yaw Owusu

Thursday August 16, 2007
MR. Ben Ndego, Operations officer of the Narcotics Control Board who is on interdiction over the loss of five kilogrammes of cocaine, yesterday failed to appear before an Accra Fast Track High Court to testify in a cocaine trial.

He was subpoenaed together with Colonel Isaac Kwasi Akuoko (rtd), Executive Secretary of the NACOB, at the instance of Alhaji Issah Abass, one of the two men on trial for narcotic offences.

Col. Akuoko testified to the court on Tuesday.

When the case was called yesterday, the Registrar of the court said the bailiffs served the subpoena on the current NACOB officials and the board in turn sent the court’s order to Mr. Ndego’s house at Kasoa.

The registrar further told the court that because there could not find Mr. Ndego, they left the order at his house. They could therefore not tell whether Mr. Ndego received it or not.

Mr. Mohammed Attah, counsel for Abass, then asked the court to effect a substituted service by posting the notice at Mr. Ndego’s house, the court’s notice board, as well as in the national dailies since serving Mr. Ndego personally was not possible and the court granted his request.

The trial judge, Justice Jones Dotse of the Court of Appeal then said that after seven days of the substituted service, the court would take appropriate measures if counsel requested it.

Abass is charged with Kwabena Amaning, popularly called Tagor for having knowledge about the missing 76 parcels of cocaine from a fishing vessel that had docked at the breakwaters of the Tema Port in April last year.

Tagor and Abass were among 14 people recommended for prosecution by the Justice Georgina Wood committee set up by the Ministry of the Interior last year, to investigate the case of 77 parcels brought into the country by the vessel, MV Benjamin and another quantity of substance seized from a house at East Legon in Accra in November 2005.

The setting up of the committee came about as result of a meeting allegedly held at the residence of ACP Kofi Boakye, then Director of Police Operations with four other suspected drug dealers including Tagor and Abass which was secretly recorded by an unknown person.

Of the 77 parcels of cocaine on the vessel, 76 disappeared at the breakwaters of the part before security agencies intercepted the vessel.

Tagor is facing four counts of conspiracy, engaging in prohibited business related to narcotic drugs and supply of narcotic drugs.

Abass on the other hand, is charged with three counts of conspiracy, engaging in prohibited business related to narcotic drugs and supply of narcotic drugs.

The two have pleaded not guilty and are currently in prison custody.

Sitting continues on August 22.