John Dramani Mahama
Former President John Dramani Mahama has
stoked fire in the trial of Gregory Afoko who has been accused of pouring acid
on Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that led to
his death.
Mr. Mahama claims the manner, in which the
government is handling the case which is in court, is an affront to the rule of
law.
Mr. Mahama, who will be leading the NDC
in the 2020 presidential elections after losing miserably in 2016, claims
government made a mistake when it decided to rescind the bail granted to the
suspect in March this year.
Speaking to members of his party and monitored
by Citi FM, the former President
urged the clergy and traditional rulers to speak up for government to realise
its ‘mistakes.’
His comments have been received with
mixed reactions; some persons are suggesting that the former President was
riding on the back of the trial as one of his ‘tactics’ to win public sympathy.
“Just recently in court, someone
requested bail and it was granted by the court but government has rescinded the
bail. Every country is governed by rules. If government decides not to abide by
the rules then where lies our fate as a country,” Mr. Mahama is reported to
have said.
He added that “the young man was
incarcerated for a long while before being arraigned. This could be any other
person too so the clergy and traditional rulers must speak up for government to
know its mistakes.
First Arrest
Gregory Afoko was arrested in May 2015
for allegedly pouring acid on the Upper East Regional Chairman of the NPP,
Adams Mahama, leading to his untimely death.
He is alleged to have conspired with
Asabke Alangdi, who was recently arrested from his hideout in the Ivory Coast,
to commit the heinous crime.
Trial
Afoko was put before an Accra High Court
charged with murder after an Accra Central Magistrate Court committed him for
trial.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge of
murder levelled against him.
The state had closed its case after
calling 14 prosecution witnesses, including the wife of the late Adams Mahama.
Afoko subsequently opened his defence
and vehemently denied the charges against him.
He called his elder brother, John Afoko,
as his only witness in the matter in a jury trial.
The trial judge Justice Lawrence L.
Mensah was on course to conclude the case when on January 28 the Attorney
General’s Department entered a nolle prosequi in the matter following the
arrest of Alangdi.
Bail
An Accra High Court in March granted
Afoko bail of GH¢500,000 with two sureties, one to be justified.
But the bail was rescinded by another
High Court just last Monday following an application filed by the Office of the
Attorney-General (A-G).
According to the prosecution, the A-G
had cause to believe that given the severity of the punishment Afoko is likely
to face if found guilty, he would not make himself available for the trial if
the bail is not rescinded.
Second Trial
The new trial of Afoko and his alleged
accomplice Alangdi began before an Accra High Court last week after the court
successfully empanelled a seven-member jury.
The two are alleged to have poured acid
on the deceased who suffered severe bodily burns and died the next day while on
admission at the Bolgatanga Municipal Hospital.
Afoko and Asabke are before the court on two counts of conspiracy to commit crime and murder to which they all pleaded not guilty.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak
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