An attempt to secure bail for two persons in custody for allegedly murdering a Senior Law Lecturer of the University of Ghana, Prof. Emmanuel Yaw Benneh, has been rejected by a Kaneshie Magistrate Court, Accra.
The counsel for the accused persons, Cornelius Stephen Sackey, prayed the court to grant James Nana Womba and Agya Badu Nkansah bail pending the trial.
He said per the Supreme Court’s directive, all offences are ‘bailable’ and the accused persons would not do anything to hamper police investigations if granted bail.
He added that the accused persons have fixed places of abode and have people willing to stand as sureties for them.
The prosecution led by Inspector Robert Teye-Okuffo opposed the application, saying although the accused persons are entitled to bail, it is at the discretion of the court.
He told the court that the police were still investigating the matter, and granting the accused persons bail will impede their work.
He added that two more suspects are on the run and the police are pursuing them; hence, prayed he court to refuse the application for bail.
The court presided over by Ama Adomako Kwakye refused the application due to the nature of the case and the indictable punishment the accused persons would face if found guilty.
She added that the court does not have jurisdiction to grant bail in murder cases and was just to conduct committal proceedings.
She urged the lawyer to repeat the application at the High Court if they so desired and asked the prosecution to expedite action due to the nature of the case.
The case was then adjourned to October 26, 2020.
Murder Case
Prof. Benneh was found dead in a pool of blood on his corridor leading to his bedroom in his Adjiringanor mansion at East Legon, Accra, on September 12
James Nana Womba, 26, a cleaner, and Opambuor Agya Badu Nkansah, unemployed, are before the court charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit crime and murder for his murder.
Suspect’s Confession
James Womba has allegedly ‘confessed’ to killing the Law don with the aid of Opambuor Agya Badu Nkansah, a resident of Ashaiman, and two others who are currently on the run.
Per the brief fact of the case as presented by the prosecution led by Inspector Ebenezer Teye-Okuffo indicated that Prof. Benneh was found dead in his house on September 12, 2020.
He told the court that the police found the victim lying in a pool of blood with his hands and legs tied together on a corridor leading to his bedroom.
The court heard that the deceased had marks of assault on his body with a rag stuck in his mouth.
Inspector Teye-Okuffo also told the court that the body of the deceased was in a state of decomposition when it was found and it has since been deposited at the Police Hospital for preservation and autopsy.
Cause of Death
He also told the court that an examination on the body of the deceased disclosed the cause of death as asphyxiation, strangulation and suspected homicide.
Three suspects, namely Isaac Botchwey, 41, a houseboy; Christian Pobee, 32, a cleaner and Adams Mensah Mansur, 52, a gardener, all workers in the Prof. Benneh’s mansion, who were initially arrested in connection with the gruesome murder were subsequently discharged by the court.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak