Jihad Chabaan
Jihad Chabaan, the embattled Ablemkpe Mawarko Branch Manager, who is standing trial for allegedly assaulting a caterer at the eatery, says his statements to the police were twisted.
According to him, the two statements he gave to the police do not reflect what he really wanted to state.
Speaking through an Arabic interpreter, the accused told the Abeka District Court in Accra yesterday that the person, who took his two caution statements, wrote what he wanted.
He argued that the words in the statements were ambiguous.
According to Jihad, who was led in evidence by Julio De Medeiros, the police statements that have been tendered in the court were not authentic.
Jihad vehemently denied ever dipping the face of the caterer into blended pepper, indicating that he could not have done that to anybody, let alone Evelyn Boakye, the complainant, who could pass for anybody’s sister or wife.
He said that after the incident, he gave one of his supervisors called Ali money to take Evelyn to a nearby pharmacy to get some drugs for her after she had complained of some pains.
Jihad claimed the following day, he saw the complainant at the restaurant coming from their storeroom to the kitchen.
He said he called the complainant but she did not respond to his calls until he was asked to see the police.
The Mawarko Branch Manager, who unconsciously spoke English although he claims he was not fluent in the language, accused the complainant of plotting with three others to extort money from him as a result of the case.
He contended that one Abigail informed him that Evelyn had told her to be a witness in the case in order to take money from him.
Jihad further disclosed that Abigail had rejected the offer by Evelyn to testify against Jihad.
Jihad took issues with the media, indicating that for the past three months that the case had been ongoing, he has been facing some problems from TV and newspapers.
The court, however, said the media do not have an influence on the substantive case.
The Mawarko Branch Manager recounted events on that fateful day in court.
Hearing continues on Thursday, May 24.
The accused, 26, is before court for reportedly dipping the head of Evelyn into blended pepper on February 26, 2017.
According to the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector H.A. Hanson, the accused offensively conducted himself when he angrily called the complainant a “prostitute.”
Jihad is facing an additional charge of intentionally and unlawfully causing harm to Evelyn.
By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson
jeffdegraft44@yahoo.com