Judge: Criminals sending spies to court

Accra, June 29, GNA - A Circuit Court judge on Monday observed that notorious criminals are sending spies to the courts to listen to proceedings and give them feedback. According to the trial judge, the trend was observed in cases where the court issued orders to arrest accused persons who failed to appear in court.

He noted that these spies on hearing that bench warrants had been issued by the court immediately inform their superiors, thereby thwarting the efforts of the police to effect arrest. Mr. D.E.K. Daketsey, a Circuit Court Judge, noted that some of them even went to the extent of dressing like clerks, holding files and pretending to be working with a law firm, which often turned out to be false.

According to him, others also dressed like court clerks claiming to be working with the judicial service.

"All those people should be careful since very soon the law would catch up with them. We will start chasing them." The judge made the observation when Nana Oware, a surety, appeared before the court for failing to produce Bertha Akosua Boatema, trader, in court.

Boatema is alleged to have collected money from over 37 persons under the pretext of providing them with rooms to rent but failed to do so. She had pleaded not guilty and the court admitted her to bail. The court therefore ordered the arrest of Boatema and enforced the bail bond of Boatema on her surety Nana Oware. Nana Oware last week prayed the court to give him a week to produce Boatema.

However, when the case was listed for today, he had not been able to locate the whereabouts of Boatema and pleaded with the court to give him two weeks to produce her. The court obliged and adjourned the matter to July 14.