Drama at Court premises

Drama unfolded at the premises of an Accra Circuit on Friday when a relation of Eric Amoateng, a former Member of Parliament for Nkoranza North smashed the Ipad of a Daily Graphic reporter.

The reporter Nana Konadu Agyemang, who is one of the Court Correspondents of the Daily Graphic, was in the process of taking a photograph of Amoateng, who recently arrived in Ghana after serving a 10 year jail term in the United States over narcotic related charges and was arraigned.

Amoateng, who was being escorted from the court premises warned: “If you want to take my picture, you need to seek my permission”.

Charged with possessing forged document, Amoateng pleaded not guilty and he was admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢200,000.00 with three sureties, one to be justified by an Accra Circuit Court. He is to report to the Police every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Amoateng is alleged to have travelled to Ghana with a female Ghanaian passport number 112347080 after serving his conviction abroad. Prosecuting, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Aidan Dery said on August 7, this year, accused arrived at the Kotoka International Airport on board a Delta Airline at 1420 hours.

During his arrival, Amaoteng went through formalities and it was found out that he had in possession a Ghanaian passport number H2347080, a forged one with the bio data page substituted.

Investigations, according to DSP Dery revealed that, Amoateng’s passport belonged to one Barbara Inkum and the said passport was issued on February 2009, the time when he (Amoateng) was in prison in the USA.

The case of the state was that in the month of December 2005, the accused went to the United State of America. On December 11, 2005, the accused was arrested in the USA for possessing heroin, a narcotic drug.

According to prosecution, he was tried and convicted and subsequently jailed to 10 years imprisonment. Amoateng served his sentence and on July 30, this year he was released from prison. Amoateng, a farmer and teacher, is expected to reappear on August 26 before the court presided over by Ms Ellen Vivian Amoah.

DSP Dery opposed to the bail application put in by Amoateng’s lawyers saying he was just picked up last night at about 2100 hours at the Kotaka International Airport and handed over to the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) and needed some time to quiz him over his travelling documents.

According to DSP Dery in order not to flout the 48 hour rule, it needed to arraign him. Amoateng’s lawyers: Mr Charles Puozing and Barnabas Yang Tang prayed the court to admit their client bail as the law presumes that an accused person was innocent until he was proven guilty by a court.

According to counsels, the accused person has a fixed place of abode near Weija Barrier, hence would not abscond, adding that, he had no record of absconding from the country.

They submitted that their client was ready to provide independent sureties if granted bail. Amoateng dressed in black trousers and a black and ash stripped “Lacoste’ is expected to reappear on August 26.