'Surprise' at cocaine trial
Gilbert Boyefio
06/12/2006
The trial of Kwabena "Tagor? Amaning and Issah Abass, both charged with drug-related offences, took an unexpected turn yesterday when a man who until a little over a week ago was in custody with them as co-accused, appeared on day one of their trial as a prosecution witness.
Dressed in a finely cut suit, Kwabena Acheampong was the first of two witnesses presented by the prosecution. On 27 November, charges against him and Victor Kisseh, who were standing trial at the circuit court, alongside Tagor and Alhaji Issah, in connection with an alleged 77 missing parcels, were dropped by the Attorney-General.
Yesterday, so surprised were counsel for the two accused persons that they asked the court for an adjournment to further consult with their clients before cross-examining a man they thought was "in the same boat" with their clients.
A similar surprise move took place Monday in another drugs trial, when a police officer standing trial with others, including three police officers, for allegedly facilitating the safe passage of 77 parcels of cocaine under police surveillance by a man on the run, Asem "Sheriff" Dake.
Describing himself as an earth-moving businessman, the first prosecution witness, Mr Acheampong, admitted that he was an ex-convict who completed serving an eight-year jail term for drug offences in 1997.
Kwabena Acheampong told the court, some time in April, "My Lord, I had information that policemen had surrounded Tagor's house at East Legon. I called him and he said he was in town. When he went home he called me to say there was no policemen but a note instructing him to go and see Kofi Boakye. It was around 4/5pm I told him not to go" But, to wait for him to accompany him the next morning, in case he needs to stand surety for bail.
During cross examination, Kwabena Acheampong said he was not formally invited to the said meeting at ACP Boakye's residence and did not also contribute to the discussion. He accepted that apart from the 76 parcels of cocaine, no other reference was made to the word cocaine throughout the meeting, but rather it was "goods" and "business" that were referred to.
Mr Acheampong told the court that he accompanied Tagor on two occasions, after the accused persons was twice invited by ACP Kofi Boakye; the first to his office, where they met Alhaji Issah coming out of Kofi Boakye's office when they arrived. He told the court, under cross-examination by leading counsel for Tagor, Ellis Owusu Fordjour, that Tagor felt intimidated and harassed by ACP Boakye, whom Tagor had described as sounding "very, very, very angry, so he [Tagor] wouldn't mind if I'd go with him," to a second meeting which took place in the house of the police officer, attended also by Alhaji Moro of Kumasi and Alhaji Issah of Tema. This was the meeting in April that was famously secretly audio-recorded.
"We waited for about ten to fifteen minutes then Alhaji Issah drove in. Kofi Boakye offered us some drinks. But none of us took it," the witness said.
The purpose of the meeting called by the police officer was to find out about the whereabouts of some parcels of cocaine (77 or 76) said to have gone missing on the MV Benjamin, a vessel which docked at Tema in March. Kofi Boakye "wanted to get to the bottom of something that was happening."
According to the witness, Kofi Boakye had confronted Tagor in the officer's office over an allegation that Tagor was going around accusing ACP Boakye of being behind the parcels of cocaine going missing. Something Tagor had denied.
The meeting in the house then turned into accusations and counter-accusations, he told the fast track High Court yesterday. After already accusing Tagor, the first accused, of falsely linking him to the missing cocaine, "Kofi Boakye then accused the second accused that he'd been spreading false rumours that he'd gone to the boat to steal some cocaine.
"Then Alhaji Issah said that he hadn't said anything to that effect. Then he said the same thing to the first accused. He also said that he hadn't said anything about that. Then Alhaji Issah also was accusing the first accused, Tgor, of spreading false rumours about him. Then Tagor also accused him of cheating him in some business," the witness said.
At this time, Pobee, the leading prosecutor asked him to explain the business.
"Some goods," he responded.
"What type of goods?" Pobee asked.
"I'll say cocaine. Then Tagor denied ever cheating him. Then Kofi Boakye said that we should all keep our ears on the ground."
Under cross-examination from Tagor's counsel, Mr Acheampong said he was now a free man and "under no restrictions."
Although he had said that Tagor asked him to accompany him to ACP Boakye's house because the police officer sounded extremely angry, Mr Acheampong said it was not true that he went along because Tagor was frightened. He, however, admitted under cross-examination that Tagor told him that he felt threatened by ACP Boakye.
Under cross-examination from Mohamed Atta, counsel for the second accused, the witness admitted, "that at all material times the word cocaine was never used except in relation to the subject matter," which he admitted was on the whereabouts of the missing parcels from the vessel.
"That's correct," he responded.
He was also asked whether, in his two earlier statements, one to the police and the other to the Georgina Wood Committee, set up to probe the missing cocaine, "you were very consistent that goods and business and no cocaine was used?"
"That's correct," retorted Mr Acheampong under cross-examination.
The next prosecution witness was Detective Corporal Edward Yaw Asante, of the Narcotics Control Board, who narrated events to do with the surveillance and arrest of a single parcel containing 30 slabs of 1kg of cocaine each found in the MV Benjamin when it was raided.
The raid he said was undertaken by 40 law enforcement agents, with a crew member allegedly confessing that 77 parcels were originally on board.
He was challenged by Mohamed Atta that the substance was field-tested and again laboratory tested by the Standards Board. Again he was challenged on his statement that he'd received information that the vessel was set alight after the raid but the fire was put out before major damage was caused. Yet he insisted on his testimony.
He told the court that he had only met the two accused persons on two occasions, when he went to Cantonments and Ministries Police Stations for other police matters unrelated to their arrest.
When he was challenged by Alhaji Issah's counsel that he had met his client on an earlier occasion, the police officer denied it. "I had not previously met him," he said.
Counsel probed further, "you've never met him at the offices of the Narcotics Control Board?"
"No my Lord," Cpl Asante insisted.
"You didn't field test it?"
"That's not correct."
"You didn't do lab test?"
"Yes, we did."
"You did not receive any information that the vessel MV Benjamin was set on fire?"
"Yes, I did."
There was no re-examination. The case has been adjourned to today at 10am.
06/12/2006
The trial of Kwabena "Tagor? Amaning and Issah Abass, both charged with drug-related offences, took an unexpected turn yesterday when a man who until a little over a week ago was in custody with them as co-accused, appeared on day one of their trial as a prosecution witness.
Dressed in a finely cut suit, Kwabena Acheampong was the first of two witnesses presented by the prosecution. On 27 November, charges against him and Victor Kisseh, who were standing trial at the circuit court, alongside Tagor and Alhaji Issah, in connection with an alleged 77 missing parcels, were dropped by the Attorney-General.
Yesterday, so surprised were counsel for the two accused persons that they asked the court for an adjournment to further consult with their clients before cross-examining a man they thought was "in the same boat" with their clients.
A similar surprise move took place Monday in another drugs trial, when a police officer standing trial with others, including three police officers, for allegedly facilitating the safe passage of 77 parcels of cocaine under police surveillance by a man on the run, Asem "Sheriff" Dake.
Describing himself as an earth-moving businessman, the first prosecution witness, Mr Acheampong, admitted that he was an ex-convict who completed serving an eight-year jail term for drug offences in 1997.
Kwabena Acheampong told the court, some time in April, "My Lord, I had information that policemen had surrounded Tagor's house at East Legon. I called him and he said he was in town. When he went home he called me to say there was no policemen but a note instructing him to go and see Kofi Boakye. It was around 4/5pm I told him not to go" But, to wait for him to accompany him the next morning, in case he needs to stand surety for bail.
During cross examination, Kwabena Acheampong said he was not formally invited to the said meeting at ACP Boakye's residence and did not also contribute to the discussion. He accepted that apart from the 76 parcels of cocaine, no other reference was made to the word cocaine throughout the meeting, but rather it was "goods" and "business" that were referred to.
Mr Acheampong told the court that he accompanied Tagor on two occasions, after the accused persons was twice invited by ACP Kofi Boakye; the first to his office, where they met Alhaji Issah coming out of Kofi Boakye's office when they arrived. He told the court, under cross-examination by leading counsel for Tagor, Ellis Owusu Fordjour, that Tagor felt intimidated and harassed by ACP Boakye, whom Tagor had described as sounding "very, very, very angry, so he [Tagor] wouldn't mind if I'd go with him," to a second meeting which took place in the house of the police officer, attended also by Alhaji Moro of Kumasi and Alhaji Issah of Tema. This was the meeting in April that was famously secretly audio-recorded.
"We waited for about ten to fifteen minutes then Alhaji Issah drove in. Kofi Boakye offered us some drinks. But none of us took it," the witness said.
The purpose of the meeting called by the police officer was to find out about the whereabouts of some parcels of cocaine (77 or 76) said to have gone missing on the MV Benjamin, a vessel which docked at Tema in March. Kofi Boakye "wanted to get to the bottom of something that was happening."
According to the witness, Kofi Boakye had confronted Tagor in the officer's office over an allegation that Tagor was going around accusing ACP Boakye of being behind the parcels of cocaine going missing. Something Tagor had denied.
The meeting in the house then turned into accusations and counter-accusations, he told the fast track High Court yesterday. After already accusing Tagor, the first accused, of falsely linking him to the missing cocaine, "Kofi Boakye then accused the second accused that he'd been spreading false rumours that he'd gone to the boat to steal some cocaine.
"Then Alhaji Issah said that he hadn't said anything to that effect. Then he said the same thing to the first accused. He also said that he hadn't said anything about that. Then Alhaji Issah also was accusing the first accused, Tgor, of spreading false rumours about him. Then Tagor also accused him of cheating him in some business," the witness said.
At this time, Pobee, the leading prosecutor asked him to explain the business.
"Some goods," he responded.
"What type of goods?" Pobee asked.
"I'll say cocaine. Then Tagor denied ever cheating him. Then Kofi Boakye said that we should all keep our ears on the ground."
Under cross-examination from Tagor's counsel, Mr Acheampong said he was now a free man and "under no restrictions."
Although he had said that Tagor asked him to accompany him to ACP Boakye's house because the police officer sounded extremely angry, Mr Acheampong said it was not true that he went along because Tagor was frightened. He, however, admitted under cross-examination that Tagor told him that he felt threatened by ACP Boakye.
Under cross-examination from Mohamed Atta, counsel for the second accused, the witness admitted, "that at all material times the word cocaine was never used except in relation to the subject matter," which he admitted was on the whereabouts of the missing parcels from the vessel.
"That's correct," he responded.
He was also asked whether, in his two earlier statements, one to the police and the other to the Georgina Wood Committee, set up to probe the missing cocaine, "you were very consistent that goods and business and no cocaine was used?"
"That's correct," retorted Mr Acheampong under cross-examination.
The next prosecution witness was Detective Corporal Edward Yaw Asante, of the Narcotics Control Board, who narrated events to do with the surveillance and arrest of a single parcel containing 30 slabs of 1kg of cocaine each found in the MV Benjamin when it was raided.
The raid he said was undertaken by 40 law enforcement agents, with a crew member allegedly confessing that 77 parcels were originally on board.
He was challenged by Mohamed Atta that the substance was field-tested and again laboratory tested by the Standards Board. Again he was challenged on his statement that he'd received information that the vessel was set alight after the raid but the fire was put out before major damage was caused. Yet he insisted on his testimony.
He told the court that he had only met the two accused persons on two occasions, when he went to Cantonments and Ministries Police Stations for other police matters unrelated to their arrest.
When he was challenged by Alhaji Issah's counsel that he had met his client on an earlier occasion, the police officer denied it. "I had not previously met him," he said.
Counsel probed further, "you've never met him at the offices of the Narcotics Control Board?"
"No my Lord," Cpl Asante insisted.
"You didn't field test it?"
"That's not correct."
"You didn't do lab test?"
"Yes, we did."
"You did not receive any information that the vessel MV Benjamin was set on fire?"
"Yes, I did."
There was no re-examination. The case has been adjourned to today at 10am.
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