Mahama Gunman Freed

Charles Antwi

CHARLES ANTWI, the gunman who said he had wanted to assassinate President John Mahama, was on Friday, December 30, 2016 has finally been released after spending several months in the custody of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI).

The man, who reportedly wanted to kill President John Mahama at the Ringway Gospel Assemblies of God Church on Sunday, July 26, 2015 with a locally manufactured pistol and two rounds of ammunition, has admitted he was not mentally fit when he made that daring attempt.

His mission was aborted after eyewitnesses found him fidgeting on his seat.

The president coincidentally was not present at the time Charles went to the church premises. He was later slapped with a 10-year jail term by a circuit court on July 28, 2015 but a high court quashed his sentence.

Several lawyers questioned the rather hasty trial and said the verdict was unfair.

Charles Antwi pleaded guilty to the charges held against him and told the circuit court, presided over by Justice Francis Obiri, that becoming president was his birthright hence, his resolve “to kill president Mahama.”

It was later confirmed that the accused was mentally handicapped after his lawyers insisted that he goes through a medical check-up.

As a result, on August 31, 2015, a Human Rights Court in Accra subsequently ordered the release of Charles Antwi.

According to the presiding judge, J.A. Okwabi, his ruling was based on documents presented to him which showed that the circuit court judge erred in the first ruling which sentenced Mr. Antwi to 10 years’ imprisonment.

Charles had been kept in BNI custody since August 2015 because the  court was convinced that he had a mental problem.

The court ordered that he should undergo treatment at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital.

Charles Antwi’s lawyer, Francis Xavier Sosu, said what happened last year was a mistake, adding that his client had a mental problem. He hoped the unfortunate incident does not happen again in his client’s life.

BY Daniel Bampoe

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