35 before tribunal for currency trafficking

Accra, May 4, GNA - The Osu Community Tribunal on Thursday adjourned to May 25 a case in which 35 people, mostly Nigerians and Malians, and six Ghanaians are standing trial for allegedly trading in foreign currency.

They had earlier pleaded not guilty to currency trafficking and were granted five million cedis bail each with a surety to be justified. The foreigners will in addition produce their relevant residential documents. The tribunal, chaired by Mrs Ivy Heward-Mills, ordered that a bench warrant be issued for the arrest of Michael Tetteh, an accomplice, who is charged with the same offence.

The adjournment followed an application made by Police Chief Inspector Margaret Awuni that the prosecution needed enough time to enable it to locate the houses of the accused persons since some of the house numbers given could not be located.

The lawyers for some of the accused persons said it was becoming difficult for their clients and families to cope with life because all their monies had been seized by the police and, therefore, applied verbally to the tribunal for the release of the monies collected from them.

They said most of the accused, who are Muslims, were returning from prayers when they were arrested in a swoop, adding that the arrest was based on arbitrary suspicion and was, therefore, unconstitutional.

The tribunal told the lawyers to properly make a motion for the release of the cedi notes while the foreign monies will be in the custody of the prosecution until the determination of the case.

The tribunal cautioned the prosecution to take proper inventory of the monies collected since none of the accused signed any document to show how much was seized from him.

The Police Striking Force arrested the alleged currency traffickers in an operation mounted at Tudu, Okaishie and Cow Lane in Accra on April 11, this year.