The suspects
The 10 persons alleged to have planned to destabilize the country and overthrow the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government have been committed to stand trial at the High Court.
This was after a Kaneshie District Court in Accra, presided over by Magistrate Eleanor Barnes-Botchway, held that the pieces of evidence provided by the prosecution against the accused persons, who are facing treason and other charges, are ‘overwhelming’ and the case must proceed.
Deadly Plan
The court heard how the accused persons were allegedly planning to capture the President, the Vice-President, the Speaker of Parliament, and the Chief of Staff, and also how to force the President to announce his overthrow once he was captured.
The accused persons were again said to have contemplated in the discussion whether or not to kill the President in the process of overthrowing the government and capturing him.
The accused persons, according to the prosecution, also discussed the procurement of electronic jamming devices and vehicles that would enable them to take over the National Communications Authority (NCA) and jam all radio stations with the exception of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).
Accused Persons
Dr. Frederick Yaw Mac-Palm, a medical officer and proprietor of the Citadel Hospital at Alajo, Accra, as well as an Assistant Commissioner of Police ACP/Dr. Benjamin Agordzo, and a senior military officer, Col. Samuel Kojo Gameli, are before the court for their alleged involvement in the coup attempt.
Other accused persons charged in connection with the alleged coup plot include Donya Kafui aka Ezor, a local weapon manufacturer (blacksmith) from Alavanyo, and Bright Allan Debrah Ofosu, aka BB, both civilians.
The other military officers caught in the alleged coup plot apart from Col. are Gameli, Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, Lance Corporal Sylvester Akapewu, Lance Corporal Seidu Abubakar and WO II Esther Saan aka Mama Gee of the Military Academy and Training Schools (MATS) and also a civilian employee of the Ghana Armed Force, Johannes Zikpi.
Charges
The accused persons are facing five counts of treason felony, conspiracy, treason, abetment of treason felony, and possession of explosives and ammunition without lawful excuse.
Given that the case was still at the committal stages, the pleas of the accused persons were not taken as that was reserved for the High Court.
Bill of Indictment
The prosecution led by Winifred Sarpong, a Principal State Attorney, alongside Hilda Craig, a Senior State Attorney, yesterday presented the bill of indictment which included the brief fact of the case, as well as the summary of evidence and the list of exhibits.
Big Denial
As part of the committal process, each of the accused persons was then given their turn to give a statement to the court in relation to the charges that have been levelled against them by the state.
They all denied the allegations and insisted that they had never at any point in time, as being alleged by the prosecution, met to discuss any plans to overthrow the constitutionally elected government.
Agordzo Submission
ACP Agordzo, for instance, told the court that he believes the prosecution has an ‘ulterior motive’ to destroy his carrier and also to gag him.
Col. Gameli also denied the allegations, adding that with his experience as a senior military officer all the facts presented by the prosecution do not come close to a coup “because I know what destabilization of a country or a government is because of what I witnessed in Rwanda and Liberia.”
Dr. Mac-Palm who is said to be the ring leader of the group also said the allegations against him are ploys to cripple his organisation, Take Action Ghana (TAG), which was planning to demonstrate against the government in the aftermath of the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence.
Exhibits
The prosecution told the court that they were going to rely on 19 witnesses and a total of 113 exhibits during the trial at the High Court.
Some of the exhibits include 72 live ammunition, seven (7) locally manufactured gun barrels, one (1) foreign pistol, one (1) revolver pistol, three (3) locally manufactured gun barrels, 22 improvised explosive devices (IEDs), three (3) smoke grenades, among others.
The exhibits were presented in court and the accused persons and their lawyers had the chance to have a look at them.
Order
Magistrate Barnes-Botchway, after listening to the prosecution, defence lawyers and the accused persons, said the evidence against the accused persons were overwhelming and committed them to stand trial at the High Court on April 6, 2020.
The accused person except ACP Agordzo, WO II Esther Saan and Col. Gameli were remanded in the custody of the Nsawam Prison, while WO II Saan who was granted bail but could not meet the conditions and the fact that she is a nursing mother was to remain in military custody.
Col. Gameli was also to remain in military custody while ACP Agordzo was also to remain on his bail granted him by an Accra High Court.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak