Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo
Embattled Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo has filed an application challenging two of the charges levelled against him by the Office of the Attorney General.
Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo and the party’s Deputy Communications Officer, Anthony Kwaku Boahen, have been put before an Accra High Court over a leaked audio detailing strategies the NDC allegedly intends to use for 2020 elections, one being the kidnappings of family members of political opponents.
Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo has been charged with one count of conspiracy to cause harm and two counts of assault against a public officer.
Mr. Boahen, on the other hand, is facing one count of conspiracy to cause harm.
According to the Attorney General, the NDC gurus also incited party members to mount a relentless ‘war’ on the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa, and Chairman of the National Peace Council Reverend, Prof. Emmanuel Asante.
They both pleaded not guilty when they first appeared before the court, which granted them bail in the sum of GH¢100,000, with one surety each.
Application
The case is still at the preliminary stage, as the prosecution has just finished filing the documents it intends to rely on for the trial.
But Tony Lithur, lawyer for Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo, has filed an application praying the court, presided over by Justice Samuel K. Asiedu, to strike out the two counts of assault against a public officer levelled against his client.
It’s unclear the grounds on which Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo wants the charges dropped, as Mr. Lithur is yet to move the application.
He, however, indicated to the court that the outcome of the application would determine the outcome of the trial.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Yvonne Atakora-Obuobisa, told the court that the Office of the Attorney General has not been served with the application and looking at the volume of documents displayed by the defence lawyer in court, they would need time to study it and respond appropriately.
Kwaku Boahen’s lawyer, Dr. Aziz Baasit Bamba, also told the court that he filed an application for the extract of diary of action in respect of the criminal complaint against his client.
The DPP told the court that they had been served with that application and they had since filed an affidavit in opposition to the action.
Alibi Investigation
Meanwhile, Mrs. Atakora-Obuobisa has indicated to the court that the state has filed a report of an investigation of the alibi of Kwaku Boahen.
Lawyers for the Deputy Communication Officer revealed that they had filed a notice of particulars of alibi on behalf of their client.
According to the lawyers, their client, who had an alibi, did nothing wrong.
The lawyers said that Mr. Boahen was somewhere else which they would prove later.
The presiding judge, Justice Asiedu, adjourned the matter to June 7 to hear the two applications and also hold a case management conference.
By Gibril Abdul Razak