By Beatrice Oppon
A three-member Panel of Judges, trying ten persons accused of planning to destabilize the government, has refused two applications to stay proceedings pending the determination of another application at the Supreme Court. A presiding member of the panel, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, delivering their ruling said the applications did not demonstrate any exceptional circumstances for which the trial must stay.
The Court has directed the parties to file their disclosures by January 27, 2023.
Last July 2022, the Court ordered the accused persons to open their defense after it ruled that the prosecution established a prima facie case against them.
The Court in its ruling on the applications filed by two of the accused persons urged it to stay proceedings held there were no special reasons to grant the application. It stated further that it would be unfair to grant the applications, to the detriment of the other eight accused persons who were ready to proceed with the trial.
The ten accused persons made up of civilians, junior and senior Military Personnel and a Senior Police Officer have been charged with four counts of conspiracy to commit high treason, high treason and abetment of high treason to which they have all pleaded not guilty. The prosecution called 13 witnesses to prove its case, and in the course of the trial tendered guns, improvised explosive devices and other ammunition confiscated from some of the accused persons during their arrest.
They are Dr. Frederick Mac-Palm, ACP Dr. Benjamin Agordzo, Col. Samuel Kojo Gameli, Donya Kafui and Bright Allan Debrah Ofosu. The rest are Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, Lance Corporal Sylvester Akapewu, Lance Corporal Seidu Abubakar and WO II Esther Saan Dekuwine and Johannes Zikpi who is a civilian employee with the Ghana Armed Forces.
The Court ordered them to file their disclosures on or before January 27, 2023 without fail and adjourned to February 1, 2023.
