Alleged coup plotters trial: Court expunges Dr Mac-Palm’s records
The Accra High Court has expunged the evidence given by Dr Frederick Mac-Palm, the man accused of masterminding a coup to overthrow the government.
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That was after a three-member panel of the Court received the certificate confirming his death.
“We have received the confirmation of the passing of Dr Mac-Palm.
“We pray the Lord will grant him peace,” the President of the panel, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, told the court.
His lawyer, E.A. Vordoagu, whose brief was held by Livingston Ameyivor, was subsequently discharged.
The trial, according to the judge, would continue on April 17, 2023, with the second accused person, Donya Kafui, to open his defence.
Mac-Palm had mounted the dock to open his defence but passed on March 25, 2023.
Trial
The other accused persons standing trial with Dr Mac-Palm are Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Dr Benjamin Agordzo, Colonel Samuel Kodzo Gameli, Bright Alan Debrah Ofosu (a fleet manager), Johannes Zikpi (a civilian employee of the Ghana Armed Forces) and Donya Kafui, aka Ezor (a blacksmith).
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The rest - Corporal Seidu Abubakar, Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, Corporal Sylvester Akanpewon and Warrant Officer Il Esther Saan Dekuwine - are all soldiers.
The accused persons are in court for allegedly taking part in the activities of Take Action Ghana (TAG), a non-governmental organisation accused by the prosecution of planning to destabilise the country to take over the government.
They have pleaded guilty and are on bail.
Prosecution's case
The facts of the case, as presented by the prosecution, were that TAG plotted to destabilise the country and overthrow the government.
The prosecution claims that as part of the plot, Dr Mac-Palm, along with Kafui and Debrah, planned on kidnapping the President, the Vice-President, the Speaker of Parliament and the Chief of the Defence Staff, and to 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.
The prosecution added that in June 2018, the security agencies picked up intelligence that the accused persons, under the auspices of TAG, had planned to overthrow and take over the government.
It said as part of the plan, Col. Gameli recruited Zikpi, who was a signal specialist with the GAF, to help jam the radio signals of the National Communications Authority.
TAG, the prosecution said, planned to jam all radio stations, with the exception of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.
The prosecution said in furtherance of the plot, Dr Mac-Palm invited Kafui, who was a blacksmith at Alavanyo in the Volta Region, to Accra to manufacture explosives and pistols for the group.
With regard to ACP Dr Agordzo, the prosecution said he donated GH¢2,000 to TAG to aid its cause and also drafted a speech for Dr Mac-Palm to be read at a planned demonstration by TAG.
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