Court adjourns cocaine case involving policemen

Accra, March 23, GNA - The case in which three policemen are being tried for their role in the disappearance of an alleged fugitive drug baron together with a huge consignment of cocaine has been adjourned to April 2 for further hearing following the absence of defence counsel. The policemen are charged with prohibited business and corruption by public officer.

The adjournment was at the instance of the accused persons whose counsel were absent.

The accused persons are General Sergeant David Nyarko, Detective Lance Corporal Dwamena Yabson and General Lance Corporal Peter Bondorin. They have denied the charges.

A fourth policeman, Detective Sergeant Samuel Amoah, is on the run. He jumped bail after an Accra Regional Tribunal had admitted him and his accomplices to bail.

Sergeant Nyarko told the court that he was informed on Friday morning that his counsel, Mr Mustapha Ahmed had gone to the tribunal. Mr Justice Anin Yeboah, Appeal Court judge with additional responsibility as a High Court judge, who presided stated: "Let the court be stood down for 15 minutes."

When the court resumed sitting and counsel were not present, the court adjourned the case.

Mr Agyeman Duodu, Principal State Attorney and Mrs Stella Badu, Senior State Attorney, appeared for the State.

The case of the prosecution is that in the early hours of April 26 last year MV Benjamin arrived on the high seas of Tema. That the vessel was carrying 77 parcels of cocaine imported by one Sheriff Asem Dake. Soon after the vessel arrived, the parcels of the substance were offloaded unto two canoes, which sailed to Kpone Beach, near Tema.

The prosecution said some fishermen who spotted the canoes became suspicious and called the owner of the canoes.

The owner of the canoes and others informed Sergeant Amoah who was stationed at Tema Newtown. He in turn mobilized the other accused persons who proceeded to Kpone Beach.

According to the prosecution, the accused persons looked on until Asem Dake offloaded the drugs at the beach into a vehicle. The accused persons then followed the vehicle to Tema where Dake gave them some money so they failed to arrest him.