Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo
A second prosecution witness in the trial of the National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, and a Communication Officer of the party, Anthony Kwaku Boahen, has reportedly been quarantined due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which is wreaking havoc in many countries including Ghana.
As a result, the witness, Listowel Kwadwo Fordjour, a show producer at Accra-based Adom FM, who was expected to enter the witness box yesterday to testify in the trial, could not make it.
The court presided over by Justice Samuel A. Asiedu, a Court of Appeal judge sitting as an additional High Court judge heard that the witness had been quarantined and had to adjourn the proceedings.
The witness is said to have travelled out of the country and was quarantined on his return which could take up to 14 days to ensure that he has not been infected with the coronavirus disease.
Supreme Court
Meanwhile, lawyers for Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo have headed to the Supreme Court to challenge the decision of the trial judge to adopt the witness statement of the first prosecution witness.
His lawyer has filed an application for certiorari at the apex court seeking to quash the witness statement which he had challenged, saying the witness had distanced himself from it hence it could not be used as his evidence.
The trial court was told that the application would be heard on April 7, 2020 and subsequently adjourned the trial to April 8.
Trial
Messrs Ofosu-Ampofo and Boahen are facing three charges before an Accra High Court over alleged leaked audio detailing strategies the NDC intends to use for 2020 elections, one being the kidnappings of family members of political opponents.
The first prosecution witness, Benjamin Osei Ampofo-Adjei, a broadcast journalist with Adom FM, was discharged last week after concluding his evidence.
His testimony was not without controversy as he initially denied his police investigation statement as well as his witness statement, saying that was the first time he was seeing it.
He eventually stood by it during cross-examination, saying “I stand by it since I read aspect of it and they are indeed what I told the police.”
The prosecution tendered an audio recording which the witness had with Mr. Boahen in which he (Boahen) confirmed on radio that Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo had said all the things that were captured on the leaked tape.
Mr. Boahen, in an interview on Adom FM following the leaked tape, confirmed that all the things on the tape were part of the measures the party’s chairman was proposing to ‘counter’ what they termed as ‘intimidation’ by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.
The tape which was played in court confirmed that the NDC National Chairman was speaking with communication officers of the party during one of their weekly meetings.
According to Mr. Boahen, on the tape, Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo’s statements depicted the position of the party and those in attendance at the meeting all agreed with his position which explained why they were clapping for him when he made those statements.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak