Afoko case closes

The trial of Gregory Afoko, who has been accused of murdering the Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Adams Mahama, is drawing to a close, as the defence team has closed its case.

As a result, the court, presided over by presided over by Justice Lawrence L. Mensah, a Court of Appeal judge sitting as an additional High Court judge, ordered the defence to file its address by February 8 after which the prosecution will also file its response by February 19.

The defence would have the opportunity to address the court on February 20, while the prosecution would take its turn on February 21, 2019 before the court summarises the entire proceedings for the jury.

The prosecution told the court that Afoko, who has been before the court since 2016 poured acid on the late NPP executive.

The state, led by Mathew Amponsah, a chief state attorney, called 14 witnesses, including Hajia Zeinabu Adams, the wife of the deceased, to testify against Afoko.

He opened his defence in December last year and denied the charges against him.

His senior brother, Isaac Afoko, the first defence witness, corroborated the accused person’s testimony that he was at home on the night of the incident happened and had nothing to do with it.

The accused person was expected to the last witness to give a brief testimony, however, the defence team was not been able to locate him and subsequently kept its promise to close the case yesterday.

Benedicta Antwi, who held brief for Osafo Buabeng as defence counsel, told the court that the second witness was not available.

Acid Bath

The late Adams Mahama was allegedly attacked with substance which has been confirmed to sulphuric acid on May 20, 2015 in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.

He was rushed to the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital but died later.

He is said to have mentioned the name of Gregory Afoko and one Asabke Alangdi, who is on the run, as the ones who poured the acid on him.

A pathologist at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Lawrence Edusei, in his evidence-in-chief before an Accra High Court, disclosed that the late Adams Mahama died an unnatural death due to extensive acid burns.

Dr. Lawrence Edusei, who performed the post-mortem on the deceased, said that the late NPP official died of shocked lungs due to the extensive burns.