[ 2017-05-18 ]

Attorney General, Gloria Akufo

Why 8 Delta Force members were freed
Eight (8) members of the Pro-New Patriotic Party
(NPP) vigilante group, Delta Force who were
standing trial for aiding 13 of their colleagues
to abscond were yesterday Wednesday May 17, 2017
freed by a Kumasi Circuit Court for want of
evidence.

When the case was called, the Principal State
Attorney Marie Louise-Simmons told the Court that
the state was no longer interested in pursuing the
case indicating it was as a result of the fact
that “the evidence available makes it extremely
impossible to successfully prosecute any of the
suspects.”

Adding, “ two police officers who were at the
court when the accused persons committed the
offence could not identify the suspects”.

Read her opinion on the evidence provided below

From the docket, the incident occurred inside the
KMA Circuit Court room. The evidence suggests that
it was a very busy Court that day. However, only
two (2) Policemen being the (CWO) in the Court
were made to volunteer witness statements.

The complainant volunteered a statement, however,
his statement does not suggest that he was a
witness to the incident.

The statement of the two (2) Policemen clearly
indicate that they could not identify any of the
persons that forcibly entered the Courtroom that
day in disregard of the judge’s orders and aided
the escape.

Sgt. Asagre stated clearly that he could not
identify any of the said criminals. Sgt. Evans
Kugbeadzor also stated that his attention was on
the safety of the judge and after ushering the
judge into her chambers; he returned and realized
that all the 13 accused persons and their
supporters had left the court. There is no
justification from the diary of action that the
police got any confidential information about the
identity of the action persons that aided the
escape.

Again, after the arrest of the suspect, there is
no indication that an identification parade was
conducted for any of the possible witness to have
identified any of the suspects.

All suspects have also denied in their statements
that they committed any offence, Infact, none of
them admitted that they entered the court room
that day, though of them admitted being outside
the court room that day.

It is basic principle in criminal prosecution that
“there can be no better identification of an
accused than the evidence of a witness who swears
to have seen the accused committing the
offence.”

As it stands now, there was not even a single
witness who can aid the prosecution to identify
any of the suspects. There is also no other piece
of evidence that links of the suspects to the
offence they have been charged with.

Despite the unfortunate and despicable incident
that occurred the manner in which it occurred, the
investigations conducted and the evidence
available makes it extremely impossible to
successfully prosecute any of the suspects here
in.

I therefore advise that the charges of DISTURBANCE
OF COURT AND RESISTING ARREST & RESCUE against the
suspects must be dropped for lack of evidence to
prosecute.

Source - mynewsgh.com

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