Tagor, Abbas in court as
prosecution pulls off another surprise
Accra, Dec. 5, GNA – The Prosecution in the
trial of Kwabena Amaning, alias Tagor and Alhaji
Issah Abbas at the Fast Track High Court in
Accra for alleged drug-related offences took a
dramatic turn on Tuesday when the Prosecution
produced another suspect in the case as the
First Prosecution Witness.
Kwabena Acheampong, who had been standing trial
with the two accused persons, was produced as
the First Prosecution Witness with the Defence
team expressing surprise at the action.
This surprise move by the Prosecution followed
the same step by the Prosecution on Monday when
it produced a Policeman, who was standing trial
with his colleagues for allegedly allowing Asem
Dake, alias Sheriff, to cart 75 parcels of
cocaine from MV Benjamin into two canoes at
Kpone, near Tema, as a Prosecution Witness.
In that case Detective Sergeant Isaac Asante,
who was originally standing trial with General
Sergeant David Nyarko, Detective Lance Corporal
Dwamena Yabson and General Lance Corporal Peter
Bondorin, mounted the witness box to give
evidence for the Prosecution.
On Tuesday, Mr Ellis Owusu-Fodjour, one of the
counsels for Tagor, said they were surprised at
the action of the Prosecution.
He said this was a summary trial and until
Tuesday morning, “we were of the belief that
Acheampong was in the same boat with the accused
persons.
“They had been packaged in the same matter for
the past three months,” he said.
Mr Owusu-Fodjour asked for an adjournment to
have further consultations with their clients
but the court overruled the application and
stood down the case for one hour for the Defence
team to consult with the accused.
Tagor and Abass, who were arrested after
testifying at the Georgina Wood Committee, were
remanded into Police custody last Monday when
they appeared before the Fast Track High Court.
The two, who are alleged self-confessed drug
barons, are jointly charged for conspiracy.
Tagor has additionally been charged for carrying
out prohibited business relating to narcotic
drugs, buying and supplying of narcotic drugs
while Abass is also being held for carrying out
prohibited business relating to narcotic drugs
and supplying narcotic drugs.
They pleaded not guilty and are expected to
reappear on December 5.
The case of the Prosecution is that the accused
are self-confessed drug barons, who since 2004
have been actively engaged in activities of
promoting and establishing various enterprises
relating to narcotic drugs.
In the process, the accused persons purchased,
supplied, paid and credited the drugs, which
they further distributed outside and within the
country.
The Prosecution said on April 26, 2006, MV
Benjamin anchored in Tema breakwaters with 77
parcels of cocaine. However, 76 parcels were
offloaded into two canoes, which landed at the
Kpone beach in the Greater Accra Region.
The Prosecution said the news of the 76 parcels
got to people of the underworld and even the
security agencies also had wind of it.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Kofi
Boakye invited them to a meeting in his house at
Kanda in relation to the missing cocaine.
At that meeting, the accused persons voluntarily
confessed to their dealings in narcotic business
and even boasted openly of previous activities.
The accused in the process also confessed openly
that they had purchased drugs, supplied,
credited and distributed drugs outside.
The accused at ACP Kofi Boakye’s house also
agreed to locate the 76 parcels of cocaine
seized and share it in furtherance of their
business because the quantity of cocaine brought
in by the MV Benjamin was too much for one
person to enjoy.
The Government set up the Georgina Wood
Committee to investigate some cocaine-related
cases including the MV Benjamin case and alleged
bribery of Senior Police Officers in a 588 kilos
of the drug seized from some Venezuelans at East
Legon in Accra.
GNA
