Delta Force punishment too lenient - Ablakwa

The Member of Parliament for North Tongu in the Volta Region, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has described as "too lenient" the punishment meted out to the thirteen members of the Delta Force who escaped from lawful custody and later surrendered to the police.

“If you look at what Delta Force and what their accomplices did, it has never happened. I believe like most Ghanaians do, the verdict is lenient. Clearly this is just a slap on the wrist. They can easily come up with the money (fine) and not feel it. It is peanuts to them,”  he said in a radio interview on Asempa FM.

The Kumasi Circuit Court 4 on Tuesday morning convicted the 13 members of the Delta Force vigilante group, which is aligned to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) for escaping from lawful custody last Thursday.

A total sum of Gh¢31,200, (Gh¢2,400 each) was imposed on them after they pleaded guilty to the offence of escaping from lawful custody.

In addition they were bonded to be of good behavior. 

Read also: Delta Force 13 fined Gh¢31,200 for escaping from lawful custody

But commenting in a radio interview on Asempa FM's Ekosii Sen programme with Kwadwo Asare Baffour Acheampong (KABA) Tuesday afternoon, Mr Ablakwa said the fine was an indication the 13 have been "treated with kid gloves."

“…when they were in lawful custody and police were in control of the security of the court precincts and they were able to break through and intimidated the police, lady judge and escaped, we were expecting that the punishment would have been severe."

“But the way things have gone, we know that their lawyer argued but our image as a country has been affected because of this lawless act, they have brought to Ghana, gross embarrassment internationally.”

When the host of the programme, asked Mr Ablakwa what he made of this punishment as compared to what was handed to the Montie 3 and how he [Ablakwa] appended his signature to the petition for then President Mahama to free the Montie 3, Mr Ablakwa’s response was that the Montie trio’s case was different.

To him, with regards to that case, they were only complaining about the length of the three months sentence.

Writer's email: enoch.frimpong@graphic.com.gh

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