Crime & Punishment of Tuesday, 7 December 2021
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2021-12-07Coup Trial: Fourth prosecution witness gives testimony
Some of the accused persons
Ten persons charged for allegedly plotting to overthrow government
Prosecution calls fourth witness
Fourth prosecution witness in coup trial says accused person pestered him for assistance to acquire communication Gota
The fourth prosecution witness in the ongoing coup trial has given his testimony in chief about how one of the ten accused persons allegedly approached him
Read full articleseeking his assistance to acquire a communication device.
Sergeant Henry Ekow Ghartey, a soldier with the Signal Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces, led by state prosecutors on Tuesday, December 7, 2021, testified that he knows the fourth accused person, Johannes Zikpi, also a civilian employee of the Signal Regiment at Burma Camp, and that they were colleagues.
Sgt. Ghartey told the court that sometime between April and May in 2019, he was approached by the fourth accused person who asked him if he could assist him acquire a Gota for a friend of his who was willing to pay for the cost.
According to the witness, he initially turned down the request by the accused person because the device he was asking for is not one that is sold on the market.
The witness said the accused person persisted in his request about the need to get his friend.
“To stop him from persisting, I mentioned an amount of money which I cannot readily recall in order to prevent him from the constant harassments,” the witness stated in his statement.
The witness on Tuesday told the court that he later went out of the country for a course that took place in July 2019, and that he later got to know that the fourth accused person had been arrested by the BNI in connection with a plot to overthrow the government.
Asked how he felt about the news of the arrest and the alleged plot to overthrow the government, Sgt. Ghartey told the court that he thought of the plot to be funny.
The state is prosecuting some 10 individuals for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The suspects are Dr Fredrick Yao Mac-Palm, Dornya Kafui, Bright Alan Debrah Ofosu, Johannes Zikpi and Colonel Samuel Kodzo Gameli.
The rest are Woii Esther Saan Dekuwine, Corporal Seidu Abubakar, Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, Corporal Sylvester Akanpewon and ACP Benjamin Kwasi Agordzo.
The accused persons have been charged with high treason and conspiracy to commit high treason.
The court is expected to hear the cross examination of the fourth prosecution witness by lawyers for the accused persons when hearing resumes on Wednesday, December 8, 2021.
