Alleged Coup plot: Prosecution to call 19 witnesses
The trial of the 10 people charged with treason on accusation of plotting to overthrow the government is expected to fully begin on June 8 when the prosecution calls its first witness.
The first prosecution witness to mount the witness box is expected to be an officer in the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
State prosecutors have indicated that they would rely on 19 witnesses and other pieces of evidence to make their case.
The prosecutor, Ms Hilda Craig, a Senior State Attorney, made this known to a three-member panel of the Accra High Court last Tuesday.
Not guilty
The 10 accused persons are alleged to be part of Take Action Ghana (TAG), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) which the prosecution argues had been planning to destabilise the country and take over the government.
They are Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Dr Benjamin Agordzo, Colonel Samuel Kodzo Gameli, and Dr Frederick Mac-Palm, the Director of Citadel Hospital in Accra.
The others are Donya Kafui, a blacksmith; Bright Alan Debrah Ofosu, a fleet manager, and Johannes Zikpi, a civilian employee of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
The rest — Corporal Seidu Abubakar, Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, Corporal Sylvester Akanpewon, and Warrant Officer II Esther Saan Dekuwine — are all soldiers.
ACP Dr Agordzo and Col. Gameli have pleaded not guilty to abetment of high treason, while the rest have pleaded not guilty to high treason and conspiracy to commit high treason.
Per Section 180 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), the punishment for high treason is death.
The two senior security officers are on bail in the sum of GH¢1 million, with two sureties, one to be justified, with the rest on bail in the sum of GH¢2 million, with two sureties, both to be justified.
Bail variation
Meanwhile, the court yesterday struck out an application for variation of the bail terms for six of the accused persons who are finding it difficult to execute their bail.
The six accused praying the court to vary their bail conditions are Kafui, Zikpi, Corporal Abubakar, Lance Corporal Solomon, Corporal Akanpewon and Warrant Officer II Dekuwine.
The court struck out the application after it was withdrawn by lawyer Victor Adawudu.
Mr Adawudu, who is counsel for the accused persons with the exception of WO II Dekuwine, made the application on behalf of all of them.
The court, however, reminded counsel that he could make the application in respect of only his clients.
Mr Adawudu, subsequently, withdrew the application, with the explanation to come back properly.
Prosecution’s facts
It is the case of the prosecution that the accused persons used TAG as a platform to mobilise in order to destabilise the country and overthrow the government.
It said as part of the plot, Dr Mac-Palm, who is accused of being the mastermind, along with Kafui and Debrah, had planned kidnapping the President, the Vice-President, the Speaker of Parliament and the Chief of the Defence Staff and force the President to announce his overthrow.
“Again, there were discussions on whether or not to kill the President in the process of overthrowing the government,” the prosecution said.
With regard to ACP Agordzo, the prosecution said he joined a WhatsApp platform of TAG created by Dr Mac-Palm, where the group discussed a planned demonstration which was likened to the ‘Arab Spring’.
He said ACP Agordzo donated GH¢2,000 to TAG to aid its cause and also drafted a speech for Dr Mac-Palm to be read at the planned demonstration by TAG.
Writer’s email: emma.hawkson@graphic .com.gh