JB Danquah Adu murder: Suspect, Daniel Asiedu requests for ICC lawyer

Daniel Asiedu, the prime suspect in the killing of a former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North, Mr J.B. Danquah-Adu, has requested the state to engage a lawyer from the International Criminal Court (ICC) to defend him.

“Assist me to get a lawyer from the ICC because this is not a small case,’’ he told the Accra Central District Court, presided over by Ms Arit Nsemoh, on Tuesday.

Asiedu, aka Sexy Don Don, and the second accused, Vincent Bosso, aka Junior Agogo, were before the court for committal proceedings which will determine whether or not the state has enough grounds for the two to stand trial at the High Court.

After more than one-and-a-half years of court adjournments and criticisms from the presiding magistrate about delays by the Attorney-General’s (A-G’s) Department, two Senior State Attorneys were in court yesterday for the committal proceedings.

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Before proceedings could commence, Ms Nsemoh asked the accused why they had no lawyer, in spite of the ample time she had given them to engage the services of a lawyer.

They answered that they could not get any lawyer and so the state should assist them with one.

Asiedu, however, added: “I want a lawyer from the ICC. Please help me get one.’’

Search for lawyers

The presiding magistrate then suspended the hearing and directed a clerk to go to other courtrooms to search for lawyers to represent the accused on a pro bono basis because the only lawyers in the courtroom were those from the A-G’s Department and Nana Obiri Yeboah, who was watching brief for the NPP.

No lawyer was found to represent the accused, leading Ms Nsemoh to adjourn the case to February 6, 2019.

She, however, directed the court registrar to write to the Judicial Secretary to request for lawyers from the Legal Aid Scheme to represent the accused.

Asiedu still insisted that he wanted a lawyer from the ICC.

“I can assure you that all the lawyers in Ghana are competent enough to represent you,” the presiding magistrate told him.

Asiedu’s love for the ICC

Although the ICC has a mandate to adjudicate on crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, Asiedu has become fixated on the international body.

On July 26, 2018, he informed the District Court about his intention to petition the ICC to investigate what he claimed were people who had hired him to kill the legislator

Background

 Mr Danquah-Adu was murdered at his residence in Accra on February 9, 2016.

The provisional facts of the prosecution were that the former MP lived with his family in a one-storey house at Shiashie, near East Legon, a suburb of Accra, while Asiedu and Bosso lived at Agbogbloshie, also in Accra.

About 11:40 p.m. on February 8, 2016, the MP was chauffeured home in his private car.

The driver handed over the ignition keys of the car to Mr Danquah-Adu and left for home, after which the MP retired to bed in a room located on the first floor of his house.

At about 1 a.m. that same night, Asiedu and Bosso, armed with a catapult, a cutter and a sharp knife, went to the legislator’s house.

Bosso is said to have assisted Asiedu to enter the house by scaling the wall on the blind side of a security man who was fast asleep. On entering the house, Asiedu picked a ladder and climbed onto a porch on the top floor and entered the MP’s bedroom through a window while Mr Danquah-Adu was sleeping.

While Asiedu was searching the room, the MP woke up and held him. There ensued a struggle, during which Asiedu stabbed the MP in the right chest above the breast. The MP consequently held the knife and Asiedu pulled it through the former’s hand, leaving a deep cut in his palm.

The legislator bled profusely and fell by his bed, after which Asiedu stabbed him several times in his right chest and neck.

On realising that the MP was dying, Asiedu left the room and took with him three iPhones and absconded with his accomplice.