Murder of GPHA Marketing Manager: Court orders prosecution to present report in 7 days

A Tema District Court, presided over by Mrs Akosua Anokyewaa Adjepong, has ordered prosecutors to furnish the court with all the documents that they will rely on as evidence against the accused persons in the murder case of Mrs Josephine Asante, the former Marketing and Public Affairs Manager of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA).

The order was given after the prosecutor, Inspector Beatrice Ayeh, told the court that one report out of three Forensic and Science Laboratory reports requested by the court, was not available.

At its siting last Wednesday, the investigator in the case was ordered to, within seven days, provide a report on the footprint analysis conducted on the two suspects in the case, Mr Christian Adjei and Amos Apeku, by the Forensic and Science Laboratory of the Ghana Police Service.

Even though the prosecution told the court at its earlier sitting on May 30, 2019, that all three reports were ready, she submitted two — the DNA report and the fingerprint print analysis.

She said the report on the footprint analysis was not available.

No signature

The prosecution told the court that although the report on the fingerprint analysis had been prepared, the head of the department who was to sign the document was on assignment and unreachable to do so hence it could not be filed in court.

The prosecution said it would be available at the next adjourned date.

The court was, however, of the view that the excuse given by the prosecution was not plausible and chastised the prosecution for unduly delaying the case.

Strict orders

The court, therefore, served notice that it might be compelled to give stiff orders because it would not tolerate any more excuses since the prosecution in its own statement promised to furnish the court with all the results before June 27, 2019, but had failed to do so.

It directed the prosecution to furnish the court with the report in the next seven days for the duplicate documents to be filed at the Attorney General’s Department for advice on the case.

The lawyers of the accused persons complained that they had not been given copies of certain documents, including the DNA report and fingerprint analysis report sighted on the docket and asked for them from the prosecution.

The court ordered the registrar of the court to make available to the lawyers, the certified copies of the two reports which were ready, but cautioned the lawyers to keep the results confidential and away from the media.

Background

Mrs Asante was murdered on January 13, 2019 at her residence at EMEFS Estates near Afienya in the Greater Accra Region.

Two persons, Amos Apeku, her personnel driver and Christian Adjei, a houseboy of Mrs Asante, have since been hauled before the court.

Apeku was granted bail by the High Court in Accra while the houseboy has been on remand.

The case has been adjourned to July 8, 2019.