Daniel Asiedu, Kennedy Agyapong, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful
Daniel Asiedu, the young man accused of murdering the late Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa North, Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu, has filed an application before a High Court in Accra to subpoena four people, including two New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs, Kennedy Agyapong and Ursula Owusu-Ekufful to testify in his trial.
The accused has been ordered to open his defence after the court found that the prosecution has made a case against him to warrant a defence.
The two other persons named in the subpoena application include Ivy Boakye Danquah-Adu, wife of the late MP as well as Jennifer Achana who was the house-help at the time of the murder.
The application indicated that subpoenaing these four persons who were mentioned by prosecution witnesses but never testified in the trial will be in the interest of justice to the populace.
Justifying the reason for the move to subpoena the four, the application indicates that during the cross examination of witnesses in the case, it came to light that Ivy Boakye Danquah Adu, the wife of the late JB Danquah-Adu, was in the house at the time of the late MP’s death yet the prosecution “failed to call upon her to testify in the case though her statement was taken during investigation.”
It avers that Jennifer Achana, the house-help, who opened the door to the house for the supposed unidentified police officers to have access to the building after the incident, was not called upon to testify, yet her statement was disclosed in the case.
Touching on the two MPs, the subpoena indicates that Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ablekuma West and Minister for Communication and Digitalisation, was the one who took two prosecution witnesses in her car to hand them over to a Police Officer at Kanda Highways for investigations.
It avers that, “no statement was taken from her neither was any explanation provided as to how she came across the two witnesses “and what transpired between them before handing them over to the police officer at the Kanda Highways.”
In the case of the MP for Assin Central, the application said Mr. Agyapong granted media interviews which have information pertaining to the incident, “yet the investigator and his investigating team in the matter did not invite him to aid in their investigations on this current trial.”
“These individuals have relevant information, if called upon to testify in this case, will assist the court and the jury to expedite the delivery of justice,” the applications adds.
Meanwhile, the court presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo has ruled that to subpoena a witness to testify on behalf of any party would be done by the registrar of the court at the request of any party and there is therefore, no need for any motion to be filed for an order.
This was after the court refused an oral application asking it to indulge the defence to call the subpoenaed witnesses to testify before Daniel Asiedu files his witness statement.
The case has been adjourned to April 29, 2024 for the accused to open his defence.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak