Court concludes coke trial of three cops.........They are to file their addresses

By William Yaw Owusu

Wednesday October 17, 2007
An Accra Fast Track High Court yesterday concluded the trial of three policemen charged inconnection with the missing 76 kilogrammes of cocaine brouhgt into the country by the vessel M. V. Benjamin.

The court presided over by Justice Annin Yeboah of the Court of Appeal therefore ordered both the defence and the prosecution to file their addresses by November 14, after which the the court will meet the following day to fix a date for judgement.

The three Sergeant Nyarko together with Lance Corporals Dwamena Yabson and Peter Bundorin, are charged in connection with the missing cocaine brought into the country on April 25, last year, by the vessel.

They were alleged to have collected an undisclosed amount in US dollars from Sheriff Asem Darke popularly called Limping Man who is wanted by the police in connection with the importation of 77 parcels of the cocaine, 76 of which were offloaded at the Kpone beach near Tema.

The prosecution led evidence to show that the policemen saw Sheriff at the Kpone beach offloading the cocaine but left him and his accomplices to go.

A fourth policeman, Detective Sergeant Samuel Yaw Amoah, who allegedly played a leading role in the case, escaped soon after he was granted bail by an Accra Circuit court in September, last year.

The accused, all of whom are with the Tema Regional Police Command, have pleaded not guilty to two counts of engaging in a prohibited business related to narcotic drugs and corruption by a public officer.

They are currently in police custody.
When the case resumed yesterday it was Bundorin who entered the witness' box to be cross-examined by Mrs Stella Badu, a Principal State Attorney.

He told the court that at the Kpone beach Nyarko was in police uniform but did not hold a gun, contrary to Nyarko's earlier evidence that he went to the scene with a gun.
He said from where Yabson positioned they could not see the beach and the land cruiser driven by Sheriff and this was also contrary to evidence given by Nyarko earlier on that they could see the vehicle and the beach from their positions.

Bundorin further said they left the scene in a taxi to the Kpone Police Station Junction and did not chase any vehicle contrary to the prosecution's case that the taxi crossed the path of Sheriff's vehicle and insisted to arrest him but was impressed upon by Amoah to follow them to Tema where they collected the money.

He denied going to Sheriff's house with the other policemen and said the only time he met the the fishermen who brought the information about the movement of the canoe was at the identification aprade organized by the Police.

He also cclaimed that he was not given any dollars by Sheriff saying ' I have never handled or seen dollars in my life'.