The autopsy report on the late New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa North in the Eastern Region, JB Danquah-Adu, has finally been released to an Accra magistrate court.
It is however, unclear what the content of the report is as it had been sealed and yet to be forwarded to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service for scrutiny.
Dr. Lawrence Edusie, the pathologist who performed the post-mortem, has on many occasions played hide-and-seek with the police who had tried many times without success to lay hands on the report – which would help them in the prosecution of the case.
He was summoned by the court so many times to release the report but failed to make it available.
On January 4, 2018, he told the court that his home was burgled and so he had lost quite a number of autopsy reports.
He could however, not tell the court whether the late JB Danquah-Adu’s post-mortem report was among those stolen.
He was subsequently asked by the court to reproduce it.
Yesterday, Detective Chief Inspector Simon Apiorsornu, who was holding the brief of DSP George Amega, told the court that the witness summons was served on the pathologist and that the police had proof of service.
He was however, interrupted by a relieving magistrate, Gloria Laryea, who confirmed that the court had received a sealed autopsy report on the late MP.
She subsequently ordered that the sealed report be forwarded to the CID for further action.
Meanwhile, Nana Obiri Boahen, legal practitioner and Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who was watching brief, expressed disgust at the way the pathologist conducted himself regarding the handling of the post-mortem and its subsequent release.
He expressed shock as to why the pathologist was not in court to present the report when the court summoned him to appear before it.
“If you are the President of Ghana and you are served with a summons, you have to appear in court. This is gross disrespect to the court. I am surprised he is exhibiting this kind of conduct. In the law profession we are taught respect for discipline, respect for law and order and I believe he was also taught the same thing,” Mr Obiri Boahen fumed.
The judge then stated that she would decide on what to do with the pathologist’s conduct on the next adjourned date – March 15, 2018.
Two suspects, Daniel Asiedu, 19, aka Sexy Don Don –phone dealer and Vincent Bosso aka Junior Agogo, phone repairer – are before the court for allegedly murdering the late MP.
The case is still at committal stage at the District Court and the autopsy report plays a huge role in determining the fate of the accused persons.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak