Accra, Feb. 15, GNA - Five soldiers who were being held for the murder o= f the former Deputy Managing Director of the Ghana Commercial Bank, Mr. Rok= ko Frimpong were discharged on Monday by the Osu District Magistrate Court. This was after Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Patrick Morkeh h= ad informed the court about a Nolle Prosequi filed by the State.
The soldiers are Sergeant Michael Arthur, Sergeant Richard Somuah, Serge= ant Lamptey Hazel, Corporal Charles Ankumah and Corporal Emmanuel Antwi. They were arrested by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) la= st year and charged with the murder of Mr. Frimpong. Their discharge was greeted with jubilation from relatives who thronged the court this morning.
Their jubilant relatives poured powder on them as they marched out of th= e court premises. The lawyer for the soldiers, Mr Joe Aboagye-Debrah, told journalists th= at he was happy with the turn of events.
He noted that the Attorney-General under the law had the power to enter Nolle Prosequi in a case. Last Friday, the State announced that it was no longer interested in prosecuting the five soldiers who were being held for the murder of Mr. Frimpong. This was contained in a statement released by the Minister of Justic= e and Attorney General, Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu in Accra leading to the iss= ue of a Nolle Prosequi.
The statement said though the Attorney General was not obliged to disclose reasons for the Nolle Prosequi, it had taken into consideration the public interest the case had generated and after reviewing the two case dockets in existence over the murder of Rokko Frimpong, it had come to th= e conclusion that it was more justifiable to prosecute the suspects who wer= e initially charged by the Police for the murder.
They are Samuel McCarthy, alias Tugah, 25; William Agbavor, alias Willie, 29; Atta Kakra, 26; Foster Kwame Boakye, 23 and Francis Ankobeah,=
alias Nana Sei, 26. Two other suspected accomplices were said to be on th= e run. The statement, however, said there were questions concerning the involvement of the soldiers in the redenomination exercise. "The AG has advised the BNI to sustain their investigations of the five soldiers with particular reference to their role and possible involvement with regard to the redenomination exercise, which took place in July 2007," the statement said.
On December 15, 2009 the five soldiers were discharged by the Human Righ= ts Court, but they were re-arrested and put before the Osu District Magistra= te Court on charges of conspiracy and murder three days later.
The court did not take their plea and remanded them into custody and further ordered the Police to produce a bill of indictment and summary of=
the evidence.
In addition the Police were to provide the court with the results of forensic examination of the bullets used to kill the deceased. The prosecution had alleged that the soldiers were instructed by their officers to eliminate Mr Frimpong who had uncovered rot involving some government officials at the time.
The prosecution said for their reward, the accused were allegedly given between GH¢5,000 and GH¢15,000. It said four of the accused persons had admitted taking the money but th= ey did not participate in the murder of the deceased while the remaining one=
denied taking it.
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