Court orders Ndego to appear or..

Accra, Aug. 14, GNA - An Accra Fast Track High Court on Wednesday ordered the publication of the subpoena served on Mr. Ben Ndego, former head of Operations at the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), to appear before the Court to testify in a drug-related case. It warned that action would be taken against him if he did not appear in seven days.

The court further ordered that copies of the subpoena be pasted on Mr. Ndego's House at Kasoa, the court premises, his former office, that is NACOB.

The order came after bailiffs of the court went to Mr. Ndego's house at Kasoa in the Central Region to serve him with the subpoena, but did not find him.

The Court last week subpoenaed Mr. Ndego and Colonel (Rtd) Isaac Kwasi Akuoku, former Executive Secretary of NACOB, to appear to testify in a drug-related case involving Kwabena Amaning, aka Tagor and Alhaji Issa Abbas.

This was after Mr. Mohamed Attah, counsel for Abass, who is being held for a drug related offence, prayed the court that, Mr. Ndego and Colonel Akuoku, came and answered questions relating to a tape recording made of a meeting of alleged drug barons in the house of former Director of Operations of the Police Service, ACP Kofi Boakye.

The court, presided over by Mr Justice Victor Dotse, a Court of Appeal Judge, in granting an application for a substituted service, said if after seven days Mr. Ndego failed to appear before it, it would conclude that he had refused to appear and appropriate action would be taken against him.

When the Court enquired from the Court Registrar whether or not the subpoena was served on Mr. Ndego, he told the court that when the bailiffs went to his house at Kasoa, they met a 20-year-old gentleman who told them that Mr. Ndego was not around.

According him the bailiffs presented the letter to the said gentleman in Mr. Ndego's house, pasted a copy of the subpoena on his gate and took photographs of it.

Mr. Attah prayed the Court to grant him an order of substituted service of the subpoena saying it should be pasted in his house, the court and offices of NACOB.

According to Mr Attah, if that was done, the duration of the subpoena should be abridged to seven days.

Following an order given on Tuesday in respect of the Tema Regional Police, Chief Superintendent of Police Joshua Tetteh Dogbeda appeared before the court to answer questions in respect of the arrest of one Konu.

hAbass mentioned Konu as one of the people he had asked to assist the Police in their investigations after he (Abass) was picked for a narcotic-related offence.

Chief Superintendent Dogbeda said the Tema Police had in their custody one Kingsley Manteaw, alias Gonu, not Konu, who had been arrested in connection with the murder of Nii Kwartei Quartey in Tema. According to Chief Superintendent Dogbeda, Gonu was arrested in Accra on July 22 and brought to Tema. "Gonu was sent to the Tema Circuit Court and he was remanded into prison custody," he added. The court said since he had been remanded into lawful custody there was nothing it could do.

Abass, 54, and Tagor, 34, described by the prosecution as self-confessed drug barons, are jointly charged for conspiracy and are being tried for drug-related offences. Abass is also being held for carrying out prohibited business relating to narcotic drugs and supplying narcotic drugs while Tagor has additionally been charged for carrying out prohibited business relating to narcotic drugs, buying and supplying of narcotic drugs. They have pleaded not guilty and the court has remanded them in prison custody.

The case of the prosecution is that the accused are self-confessed drug barons, who since 2004, had been actively engaged in activities of promoting and establishing various enterprises relating to narcotic drugs. 15 Aug. 07

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