DIPLOMAT CHARGED WITH POSSESSING NARCOTICS

Accra, Feb. 8,

Frank Benneh, a diplomat attached to Ghana's Permanent Mission at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, was today arraigned at an Accra Circuit Tribunal on charges of possessing, trafficking, smoking and dealing in narcotic drugs. Benneh, 45, pleaded not guilty to all the charges, and was remanded in prison custody until Thursday, February 22.

Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police P.A. Sarpong told the three member tribunal, chaired by Mr Charles Nyewolema, that on January seven, this year, an unidentified police informant revealed to the Swiss Police that he regularly purchased cocaine in a five gramme denomination from the accused. The informant, according to Mr Sarpong, said the transactions usually took place in the flat of the accused, and that the informant was willing to co operate with the police to facilitate the arrest of the accused. The prosecution said the informant furnished the police with the telephone number and the residential address of the accused.

On January eleven when a Swiss Police undercover agent approached the accused to purchase 15 grammes of cocaine for 3,000 Swiss Francs, Bennah introduced to the agent two Sierra Leonians, Moses Conteh and Kargbo Saidu as dealers who will supply the drug. The prosecution said when the three persons went to town to conclude the transaction, the agent revealed his real identity and effected their arrest. Mr Sarpong said the police also approached a fourth person, Juan Carlos who allegedly admitted having purchased 10 grammes of cocaine from the accused within 10 days.

The prosecution said because of Benneh's diplomatic status, he was not interrogated. However, the prosecution said he allegedly admitted his involvement in drugs as both an intermediary in the sale of cocaine and a consumer of heroin.

Mr Sarpong said on January 18, the Swiss Police arrested two drug addicts and during a search of their apartment, the diplomatic passport of the accused was found with them. The addicts, Oxbora Tunc, a Swiss, and Lucas Bartaiha, a Portuguese, according to the prosecution, admitted that apart from purchasing five grammes of cocaine from the accused, they also retailed 20 grammes of the drug on his behalf.

Mr Sarpong said the accused who left his diplomatic passport with the addicts as a surety for the payment of heroin, told the Swiss Police that he was having an affair with a woman who lived in Paris, and that the woman supplied him with cocaine. The prosecution said as the diplomatic immunity of the accused could not be waived for him to stand trial in Geneva, the head of Ghana's Narcotics Control Board was despatched to Switzerland to bring him down to face trial.

The prosecution added that as the offences took place in Geneva and accused was arrested by Swiss Police and deported to Ghana, Interpol in Switzerland has been contacted to provide the police with a full report on the accused for further action.

Pleading for bail, leading counsel for Benneh, Mr Lawrence O. Cantey, told the court that his client is ready to comply with any conditions set by the court. Counsel said his client has denied the charges and that he would prove his innocence during the trial. The other counsel is Mr Joseph Turkson.

The case which has been captioned the "Big Diplomatic Scandal" by some of the private papers hit the newstands last week. Some of the papers alleged that Benneh, younger brother to the respected Professor George Benneh, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, was running the drugs to buy arms for the NDC controlled militia.

One paper, the "Ghanaian Chronicle" alleged that some of ther arms purchased from the drug sales were on display by the militia during the military parade to mark the the third anniversary of the Fourth Republic. "Chronicle" further alleged that because of government's complicity in the scandal, Benneh was being housed at the Liberty Court Hotel, at the tax payers expense, and was later to be moved into state lodgings instead of being sent to the Police.

Editorial Note:

In the meantime, GRI has received a letter from the office of the Miinistry of Foreign Affairs in Accra giving details of the Ghana Govt's side of the story which we will be publishing in full in the next edition of GRi, due out this Friday 16 February.