The suspects
One of the two serving police officers who allegedly attempted robbing the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB Bank) bullion van at Donkorkrom in the Eastern Region says he is afraid the police would tamper with the results of the ballistic test.
In the view of Lance Corporal Daniel Kissi Abrokwah, the only way to trust the report is to witness the test.
He told the Accra Central District Court yesterday that on the day of the incident, he did not fire any weapon and as such, wants to challenge the ballistic report.
But the trial magistrate, Stephen Owusu, said Daniel does not have to be present during the ballistic test and that the report would be given to him when it is available.
The judge said Daniel could then attack the report if he felt so, insisting that it’s the police who would prove whether or not he fired a weapon on the day of the incident.
Mr. Owusu urged Daniel to keep calm and allow the report to come, adding that he would get the opportunity to challenge the report and tell his side of the story.
Earlier, General Lance Corporal Solomon Elvis Mensah had chided the prosecutor, Inspector Robert Gyamfi, for telling the court that he (Gyamfi) does not know why their civilian accomplice Hafisu Mohammed aka Danjuma, was not brought to court for the trial.
Solomon argued that he did not know why Inspector Gyamfi would say that.
The case has been adjourned until May 4, awaiting the Attorney General’s advice.
The three are in the dock over the death of Daniel K. Sarpong, 52, the driver of the GCB Bank bullion van with registration GN 1354-15 in the Donkorkrom robbery.
According to the prosecution, the two Lance Corporals had the intention to rob the vehicle which had always come to Donkorkrom to supply money to the bank.
“The two accused policemen, who were on duty at the GN and GCB Banks respectively, decided to exercise their plan of robbing the bullion van of any cash it was carrying,” according to the prosecution.
The three, on August 16, 2016 at Mame-Krobo, near Tease in the Eastern Region, allegedly conspired and acted together with a common criminal objective to commit crime, to wit: murder.
The two policemen have been slapped with additional charges of attempted robbery and murder.
In the murder case, the prosecution stated that the cops at the same place and date caused the death of one Daniel K. Sarpong.
The prosecution disclosed that on the said day, the policemen discussed the plan to rob the van with Danjuma, a cabbie who is their friend.
The policemen reportedly waylaid the van at a spot between Tease and Mame-Krobo, each armed with an AK 47 assault rifle at about 10:30 am, stressing that Danjuma drove his vehicle towards Ekye Amanfrom to monitor the arrival of the van.
By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson
jeffdegraft44@yahoo.com