Government adjourns Tema Port manager’s murder case to April 8

The Tema Development Corporation District Court yesterday adjourned to April 8, the case in which two persons are standing trial for the murder of Mrs Josephine Asante, Marketing and Public Affairs Manager of Tema Port.

The two suspects are Christian Agyei, a house boy and Amos Apeku, driver of the deceased.

On March 14 the court subpoenaed the head of department of the Forensic Science Laboratory of the Ghana Police Service to appear before the court at yesterday’s sitting to explain the delays in furnishing the court with examination results of the samples of the accused but he did not turn up.

The court presided over by Madam Akosua Anokyewaa Agyapong, therefore ordered that the head of department of the Forensic Science Laboratory be subpoenaed again to appear at the next sitting.

Police Inspector Beatrice Ayeh, told the court that investigations were still ongoing, however results of bodily fluid, fingerprints and footprints of accused sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory of the Ghana Police Service for examination, as ordered by the court over a month ago were not ready.

Isaac Eshun, counsel for Apeku said his client was admitted to bail by an Accra high court last week adding that his client was not connected with the crime and prayed the court to discharge the client as the police were using the delay as a ploy to get him connected to the crime. But the prosecution opposed that submission.

Baba Jamal, counsel for Agyei, expressed concern that prosecution had refused the request for statements of their clients and supporting documents.

The court declined the request to discharge the accused but ordered that certified copies of accused statements and accompanying documents be given to counsel.

The prosecution said on January 12, this year Mrs Asante had attended an end of year party organised by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) at Community 6.

Insp.Ayeh said at about 11:30pm, the driver drove her private Mercedes Benz saloon car and allegedly alighted at Michel Camp bus stop, whilst the deceased continued home and arrived home at about 3am the next day.

The prosecution told the court that at about 3:30am Kwaku Adutwum-Ameyaw, son of the deceased, was awoken by unusual screaming from his mother’s room, and when he went to ascertain what the problem was , he met Agyei in the hall, which was unusual but he (son) went back and slept.

Insp. Ayeh said Adjei later informed Adutwum-Ameyaw that he saw a male adult wearing black shirt and jeans trousers running out of the house through the main gate.

The court heard that the deceased’s son got frightened and went and slept in the boys’ quarters, where the houseboy lives.

Amos Apeku who works at the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority is the official driver of the deceased.

Insp. Ayeh said when Agyei and Adutwum-Ameyaw woke up in the morning, they realised that as at 8:30am the deceased was not seen and they decided to find out what the problem was, but the door was locked.

The deceased’s son later peeped through the window and saw her mother lying in a pool of blood on the floor and alerted Agyei.

Insp. Ayeh said Adutwum-Ameyaw called Apeku on phone to come, and when Apeku arrived in the house, he was holding the keys to the house, including that of the deceased’s room which he claimed he found at the entrance of the main gate of the house.

The court heard after the key was used to open the deceased’s room, she was found dead lying in a pool of blood in a supine position.

Insp. Ayeh said while the police were carrying out investigations at the crime scene, they saw the houseboy burying a consignment wrapped in a polythene bag near the boy’s quarters.