Dawood, other accomplices of Nayele granted bail
The Circuit Court in Accra yesterday granted bail to the six persons accused of playing various roles to assist Ruby Nayele Ametefeh to export 12.5 kilogrammes of cocaine to the United Kingdom (UK).
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The presiding judge, Mr Francis Obiri, said the charges preferred against the accused persons were bailable.
Bail conditions
The bail conditions are: GH¢100,000 each, with three sureties, one to be justified.
One of the sureties should be a public servant with a net salary of not less than GH¢1,000.
The accused persons are to report themselves to the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) once a week.
Accused persons
They are Alhaji Mohammed Dawood, a businessman; Sadala Nuhu and Nana Akua Amponsah, both businesswomen; Abiel Ashitey Armah, a Foreign Service officer; Ahmed Abubakar, a protocol officer, and Theophilus Kissi, a civil servant.
In granting them bail, Mr Obiri said the prosecution was given the right to make its case heard on Monday, but it failed to show up, pointing out that in so doing, the prosecution had waived its right to be heard yesterday.
He explained that the court refused to grant the accused persons bail on December 12, 2014 because the BNI needed some time to conduct further investigations into the matter.
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Defence counsel
Defence counsel pleaded for a reduction of the number of sureties to two but the plea was not heeded.
A State Attorney, Ms Penelope Mamattah, contended that counsel should be grateful to the court for admitting their clients to bail and not ask for reduction in the number of sureties.
Background
A team of lawyers had, on December 8, 2014, moved separate bail applications for the accused persons and argued that the facts of the case did not match the charges levelled against their clients, but the court, on December 12, 2014, declined to grant them bail.
Following the renewal of the bail applications by the lawyers, the court gave its ruling on the issue yesterday.
Charges
Sadala and Nana Akua are alleged to have, on or about November 9, 2014, conspired with Ametefeh, aka Ruby Appiah or Ruby Adu Gyamfi, to export the said narcotic drug.
The prosecution said Armah was, on November 9, 2014, contracted by Alhaji Dawood to facilitate the passage of Ametefeh and the two other ladies through the VIP Lounge at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
It said Armah consequently instructed Abubakar and Kissi to assist the three women.
According to the prosecution, Ametefeh, Sadala and Nana Akua were ushered through the VIP Lounge of the KIA by Abubakar and Kissi to board a British Airways flight bound for the UK.
Abubakar and Kissi were also alleged to have facilitated departure formalities for the three women and carried their luggage onto the aircraft.
A man in a black suit brought in another luggage, which was handed over to Ametefeh in the aircraft.
Ametefeh was arrested at the Heathrow Airport in London on November 10, 2014, after she was found to be in possession of 12.5 kilogrammes of cocaine.
She has since pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges and will be sentenced on January 5, 2015.
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The following day, Sadala flew to Paris and boarded a flight to Togo before coming to Ghana.
Nana Akua also came to Ghana later.