Gregory Afoko
COUNSEL FOR Gregory Afoko, the 53-year-old prime suspect in the murder of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Upper East Regional Chairman, Adams Mahama, has ended his cross-examination of the prosecution’s 16th and final witness.
The lawyer, Stephen Sowah Charway, during his cross-examination, accused the case investigator, Chief Inspector Augustus Nkrumah, of being untruthful to the court and not telling the court the accurate results of their investigations.
Counsel’s accusations against the witness stemmed from the evidence the investigator gave to the court with regards to how the deceased NPP Chairman’s wife single-handedly pulled him out of the car, how a gallon containing an acid was transported from Bolga to Accra, among others.
Afoko has been charged with murder while his accomplice, Asabke Alangdi, has been charged with abetment of murder. They have both pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Mr. Charway had put it to the witness that it was not possible for the investigative team to have transported the gallon containing the acid from Bolga to Accra without any spillages when it was only covered with sellotape.
He also put it to the witness that it was not possible for the wife of the deceased to have single-handedly pulled the late husband out of the vehicle without sustaining any injuries to her hand.
Chief Inspector Nkrumah, however, denied the accusations and maintained that he was telling the court nothing but the truth.
Responding to the transportation of the gallon, he said “the police knowing very well the content, made sure that it arrived safely without any splashes or spillages.”
Counsel then drew his attention that the gallon he tendered in evidence in the trial had no sellotape on it, but the investigator said: “I believe when it was sent for forensic examination, that was when it must have been opened in order to have access to the substance.”
Responding to the lawyer’s assertion that it was impossible for the wife of the deceased to have pulled him out of the vehicle without using her hand, considering his stature, Chief Inspector Nkrumah said, “It is possible depending on how the one assisting handles the situation.”
Mr. Charway then asked the witness whether they subjected the hands of the deceased’s wife to examination during their investigation. “We didn’t because she only showed us where she sustained the burns, and if the fingers have had a problem at the time, she would have shown to us at the time.”
He explained that the burns were on her chest, breast and upper side of the hands getting to the shoulders.
The court, presided over by Justice Afua Merley Wood, has adjourned the case to May 30 for counsel for Asabke Alangdi to cross-examine the witness.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak