Haleem Banda before Fast Track High Court

Accra, June 29, GNA - An Accra Fast Track High Court on Friday remanded into police custody Haleem Banda, son of Alhaji Asoma Banda, a business tycoon, on charges of threat of death and possessing firearm and ammunition without lawful authority.

Haleem pleaded not guilty.

A bail application put in by his counsel was rejected by the court, presided over by Mr Justice B.T. Aryeetey.

He is to reappear on Wednesday July 4.

Haleem had been put before the Greater Regional Tribunal on a charge of attempted murder and was admitted to bail in the sum of 600 million cedis with a surety to be justified.

This followed his arrest by the Police on June 12, this year after he and his brother, Sadiq, had appeared before an Accra Circuit Court charged with causing unlawful damage to property worth 9,000 dollars belonging to Cinderella Night Club in Accra.

Before the Circuit Court, Haleem, Managing Director of PHC Tema, pleaded not guilty and was on a 300 million cedis bail with one surety. Haleem was said to have threatened Mr Emmanuel Kiki Banson, a businessman and manager of the Cinderella Night Club at Cantonment in Accra and Mr Kofi Okyere-Darko, a radio presenter, with death. At about 0130 hours on June 10, this year Mr Banson and Mr Okyere-Darko came out of "The Office", a spot in the premises of Cinderella Night Club and met Haleem at the entrance.

The accused for no reason began raining insults on Mr Banson. Mr Okyere-Darko then asked Mr banson if he knew the accused person. Mr. Banson in response asked Mr Okyere-Darko to follow him to his car. Surprisingly Haleem pursued them amidst words of threat.

The accused was alleged to have drawn a pistol and fired three times and pointed the muzzle of the weapon at Mr Okyere-Darko' neck, asking him to talk if he was a man.

Mr Banson then entered Cinderella Night club but Haleem allegedly chased him shouting, "Where are you? I will kill you." Haleem, however, drove off after he could not locate Banson. When a police patrol team arrived at the scene Haleem had left but they found some empty shells.

On June 12, during interrogation, Haleem denied firing at the scene and owing a pistol.

A search conducted in his room led to the discovery of four live pistol ammunitions, nine blank pistol ammunitions and a pistol holster. 29 June 07