Gregory Afoko
An Accra Central Magistrate Court has once again adjourned the hearing of an application by lawyers for Gregory Afoko for the court stay its proceedings due to an application before the Supreme Court.
This is the third time that the lower court, which is hearing the preliminary case against Afoko and Asabke Alangdi, has adjourned the hearing of the application because it was not properly before it.
The accused have been charged with murdering the Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The presiding Magistrate, Afua Sackey previously indicated that there was no application before the court and subsequently asked the lawyer to do the right thing.
The court adjourned the matter again when it emerged that the lawyer did not file any application, but wrote a letter to the Registrar of the High Court and copied to the Attorney General’s Office, the registrar of the Magistrate Court, which was later given to the Magistrate.
Appearing before the court yesterday, Sowah Tsawey, who held brief for Osafo Buabeng, counsel for Afoko, told the court that they had filed the application on Tuesday, February 26, 2019 and that the Office of the AG had been served.
A state attorney, Lilly Atutigah, confirmed that her outfit was served on that day as at 5pm but she only got her copy of the application yesterday.
The residing Magistrate therefore suggested that the matter be adjourned for approximately three days so that the application can be moved.
Ms. Atutigah, however, indicated to the court that they will have to respond to the application and serve the defence lawyers which will take more than the three days as suggested by the court.
The matter was therefore adjourned to March 11 2019 for the application to be moved.
During the previous sitting, lawyers for Gregory Afoko ‘ambushed’ the Office of the Attorney General in their attempt to stop the preliminary hearing at the Magistrate Court.
The lawyers had informed the court that they had filed an application at the Supreme Court seeking an order on the state to go back to the High Court to continue with the trial, which was nearing judgment.
Afoko was put before an Accra High Court on the charge of murder to which he pleaded not guilty.
The state had closed its case after calling 14 prosecution witnesses, including the wife of the late Adams Mahama, to prove its case against the accused.
Afoko subsequently opened his defence and vehemently denied the charges preferred against him.
But the state on January 28, 2019 entered Nolle Prosequi to discontinue the matter, which has been before the court since 2016, following the arrest of Asabke Alangdi, another suspect in Ivory Coast.
By Gibril Abdul Razak