The first witness brought to court by prosecutors in the case in which the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, is being accused of inciting violence against public officials has denied knowledge of evidence attributed to him.
The witness, Benjamin Osei Ampofo Adjei, who is a broadcast journalist with Adom FM, told the court that he did not author the content in the said witness statement.
Though agreeing that the statement had his signature, Mr. Ampofo Adjei told the court that he only signed a document brought to him without reading it.
Mr. Ofosu Ampofo is on trial alongside the Deputy Communication Officer of the NDC, Anthony Kweku Boahen, over an alleged leaked tape in which they have been accused of inciting violence against the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs Jean Mensa, and the Chairman of the National Peace Council (NPC), Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante.
The two have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit assault against a public officer.
Trumped up charges
One of Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo’s lawyers, Abraham Amaliba, said this development was evidence of fabricated evidence by the state.
“In my practice, this is the first time I am seeing a witness in the witness box denying an act that this purported to be his act… it simply means these are trumped-up charges,” he said.
“Because they are trumped-up charges, they need to couch something for the witness to append his signature,” Mr. Amaliba told Citi News after court proceedings on Wednesday.
The prosecution’s case
According to the prosecution’s facts, following the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence on January 31, 2019, Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo met with some NDC communicators on February 3, 2019.
Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo and Boahen are said to have outlined an action plan which included violence against Mrs. Mensa and Rev. Prof. Asante.
The prosecution added that on February 20, 2019, Boahen granted a radio interview in which he confirmed his participation in the said meeting and also revealed that the leaked audio recording was a true reflection of what had transpired at the February 3, 2019 meeting.
–Citinewsroom