I did not slant interpretations - Witness

Accra, March 12, GNA - A lecturer of Ghana Institute of Languages on Monday denied that he slanted interpretations he made for the two Venezuelans who were arrested in connection with the 588 kilogrammes of cocaine seized by the Police at Mepasem, East Legon, in Accra. Mr Anthony Kweku Osei, the seventh prosecution witness, said he only performed the role he was assigned.

The accused - Italio Gervasio Rosero aka Italio Cabeza Castillo, 38, a businessman and Joel Meija Duarte Moises, a 35-year-old machine operator, are being held for conspiracy to commit crime, importing 588 kilograms of narcotic drugs without lawful authority and possessing narcotic drug without lawful authority.

They have pleaded not guilty and have been remanded into police custody by the Court.

The third Venezuelan, Vasquez Gerado Duarte David, aka Bude or Shamo, is at large.

Answering questions under cross-examination conducted by Mr Kwablah Senanu, defence counsel, Mr Osei admitted that he went to the Police Headquarters on November 24, 25 and 28, 2005 to interpret questions put to the accused persons by the Police and interpret response to the Police.

He denied that accused persons were put under duress when interpretations were conducted.

Mr Osei said when he went to the Police Headquarters on November 24, 2005 he met accused persons in a relaxed mood. "I never saw armed men in the room where the accused persons were," he added.

Led in evidence by prosecuting Chief State Attorney, Ms Gertrude Aikins, Mr Osei said on November 24, 2005, at about 2030 hours, he was called to the Police Headquarters to assist in interpretation of the Spanish language to the accused.

Witness said when he got there he was directed to the offices of the Director of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Police Service.

"I introduced myself to him and I was escorted to a room where the accused persons were."

Mr Osei said when he got there, he saw packets of "some things" suspected to be cocaine.

He said he was told that the packets were taken from a room in the house at East Legon.

Mr Osei said he certified the statements obtained from the accused persons after he appended his signature. The case of the prosecution is that on November 24, 2005, a team of detectives from the Headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), acting upon a tip-off that there was cocaine in house Number 348 at Mepasem in Accra, proceeded to the house where they met Moises.

Moises was arrested and he led the Police to his upper room, where three bottles of ammonium used to turn cocaine into crack, a machine used in compressing the cocaine, 13 pieces of gloves and a quantity of plastic wrappers were found.

The prosecution said brown cellulose tapes, a filtering bottle used in filtering and sniffing cocaine, an exercise book used in recording the names of people who had purchased and had been supplied with the drugs and two cell phones were also found. The case has been adjourned to March 26.