The late Major Maxwell Adam Mahama
Parties in the trial involving 14 alleged murderers of the late Major Maxwell Adam Mahama, have agreed to resume the matter on November 19, 2020.
The court was expected to resume on Thursday, October 29, but the judge, the accused persons were not in court and likewise most of their lawyers, hence, the adjournment.
Chief State Attorney, Evelyn Keelson, indicated that parties together with the court were making special arrangement to see how the matter could commence due to the number of the accused persons.
The special arrangement was due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions that do not allow accused persons, who were currently in custody to be brought to court and return to the prisons.
At the last adjourned date on February 28, 2020 before the outbreak of the COVID-19, the Court admitted a video recording of how the late Major Mahama was allegedly murdered by the 14 persons now on trial and directed that it should be shown in open court on March 17.
The Court on February 13, this year, dismissed an objection by the defense when the prosecution sought to tender the flash drive containing the video as evidence.
Justice Mariama Owusu, a Justice of the Supreme Court, sitting as an additional High Court Judge, delivering a ruling on the issue on Thursday said it was better for the video to be admitted as evidence first before it could be shown in open court.
The trial judge indicated that if the video was first played in open court before it was admitted as evidence, it would prejudice the court as the jury would form opinions and that even if the court rejected the video later, such opinions could not be erased from their memory.
She said she had not watched the video, and would not be watching it, adding that “I have even admonished the jury to refrain from listening to all discussions on the case in the media, particularly radio and television”.
Earlier, Police Chief Inspector Samuel Agyakwa, Investigator in the case, told the Court that the video contained details of how the late Major Mahama was allegedly murdered, but the defense objected to the tendering of the video evidence.
The witness, who was being led by Mrs Evelyn Keelson, Chief State Attorney, to give his evidence in chief, said it came out that the following; William Baah, John Boasie, Bismarck Abanga, Kwadwo Anima, and Donkor Bismarck, were not in the video.
He said apart from those mentioned above, the rest were seen in the video hitting the late Mahama with implements like sticks, cement blocks and metal bars.
“My investigations also revealed that Charles Kwaning and Kwesi Asante were the ones who shot Major Mahama,” the witness added.
He said after the investigations, it became known that William Baah, John Boasie, Bismarck Abanga, Kwadwo Anima, and Donkor Bismarck used their fists to attack the deceased.
The investigator told the Court that after watching the video, he copied it on a pen drive and with the assistance of a crime scene expert,they captured crime scene shots from the video.
The 14 persons are standing trial at an Accra High Court over the killing of Major Mahama, an officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion, Burma Camp.
The late Major was on duty at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region when on May 29, 2017 some residents allegedly mistook him for an armed robber and lynched him.
The mob had ignored his persistent plea that he was an officer of the Ghana Armed Forces.
The accused are: William Baah, the Assembly member of Denkyira Obuasi, Bernard Asamoah alias Daddy, Kofi Nyame aka Abortion, Akwasi Boah, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi, Michael Anim and Bismarck Donkor.
Others are John Bosie, Akwasi Baah, Charles Kwaning, Emmanuel Badu, Bismarck Abanga and Kwadwo Anima.
GNA