Police withdraw criminal case against Alhaji Sinare

The criminal case against the National Vice Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Alhaji Said Sinare has been withdrawn by the police.

At the Kaneshie District Thursday afternoon [October 29, 2020], the prosecutor, Seargent Thomas Safo, told the court that the prosecution wanted to withdraw the case upon “further development in the matter.”

The court, presided over by Ms Ama Adomako Kwakye, acceded to the request and discharged the NDC Vice Chairman.

Charges

Alhaji Sinare and one Tahiru Ahmed were charged with conspiracy to commit crime and possession of firearms without lawful authority.

Said Sinare was invited by the police after the NDC Constituency Chairman for Ayawaso North, Ahmed Tahiru reportedly confessed to the police that Sinare had supplied guns to some youth to cause chaos during the upcoming December 7 general elections.

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Free?

It is not clear whether or not the police have completely closed the case against Alhaji Sinare, and if he might be invited again for new charges to be preferred against him.

His lawyer, Mr Abraham Amaliba, told journalists after the proceedings that the action by the police meant that his client was now “free”.

“The charges that were brought to court were not well founded and that was why the prosecution withdrew it. I can tell you that Alhaji Sinare is now a free man,” he said.

Supporters

Many supporters of the NDC descended on the court premises to support their National Vice Chairman.

They chanted party songs and called for his release.

Allegation

Alhaji Said Sinare on Thursday morning reported to the Accra Regional Police Command following an invitation over a weapons distribution allegation against him.

Said Sinare was invited by the police after the NDC Constituency Chairman for Ayawaso North, Ahmed Tahiru reportedly confessed to the police that Sinare had supplied guns to some youth to cause chaos during the upcoming December 7 general elections.

He therefore reported to the Accra Regional Police Command Thursday morning for interrogation.

Alhaji Said Sinare is a former Ghana Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Amaliba

Speaking to journalists on behalf of Alhaji Sinare whilst he was still at the police station Thursday morning, Mr Abraham Amaliba said, "he was shown two guns, one AK-47 and the other, a pump action gun."

“He denied knowledge of the AK-47 but he indicated that the pump action gun belongs to him and he had already made a report to the Cantonments Police Station of the gun that was missing and so he acknowledge that the pump action gun is his and he has license to show that, that belongs to him."

The constituency chairman of the NDC is said to have presented an AK-47 and a pump action gun to the police as evidence of the arms being distributed by the NDC Vice-Chairman to the youth to foment trouble.

In a radio interview with Accra based Citi FM Thursday morning [October 29, 2020], Alhaji Sinare said the action of the constituency chairman who has been his employee for eight years may be as a result of anger after he fired him about a month ago.

Alhaji Sinare however denied culpability in an alleged plot to arm people with weapons to cause chaos during the December 2020 polls.

“He [Ahmed Tahiru] is the Ayawaso North constituency chairman. He is my boy and I groomed him. He is my employee, and he has been working for me for the past 8 years and I fired him exactly about five weeks ago because of so many reasons. That blackmail will never work because I am a very clean person with a good track record. I am not going to cause mayhem anywhere, I have been preaching peace everywhere I go,” he said.

“I don’t own an AK-47. I don’t even know where this guy got the AK-47 but the pump-action gun is my pump-action gun that has been registered. I reported to the police that my pump-action gun has been missing some few months back. I have got an extract of that report so at the end of the day I will be cleared because that guy, that constituency chairman must be caught, and they must put him behind bars, and they must find out from him how he got the AK-47,” he added.