Afoko and Asabke to be tried jointly for murder- Court rules

The High Court in Accra presided over by Justice Marie-Louise Simmons has ruled that Asabke Alangdi will be tried jointly with Gregory Afoko for murder according to the Bill of Indictment filed in 2018.

Asabke and Afoko are alleged to have poured a substance believed to be acid on a former Upper East Regional Chairman of the NPP Adams Mahama on the night of May 20, 2015 leading to his death.

On April 27, 2022 a seven-member jury unanimously found Asabke guilty of conspiracy to commit murder. Four jurors found him not guilty of murder and three found him guilty. The then presiding judge Justice Afua Merley Wood sentenced Asabke to death by hanging on the charge of conspiracy.

With regard to Afoko, the jury by a 4 : 3 majority decision found him not guilty of both conspiracy and murder.

Justice Afua Merley Wood said the return verdict in respect of Afoko was hung by a jury because the panel was unable to reach a decision as required by law and therefore ordered a re-trial of the accused person. However, there was a disagreement between the prosecution and the defence lawyers on whether Asabke who is currently on death row should be retried together with Afoko.

Lawyer for Afoko Stephen Sowah Charway challenged the decision to try Asabke again for murder when the previous trial court did not make any order for his retrial following his conviction.

Delivering a ruling on the matter, Justice Simmons said the Attorney General’s decision to prosecute Asabke falls within his mandate. The absence of a Frafra language interpreter to take the plea of Asabke led to an adjournment of the case to December 21, 2023.