Maj Mahama: Court to empanel jury on April 12

The Criminal Division of the Accra High Court will on April 12 empanel a jury for the trial of the 14 accused persons allegedly involved in the murder of Major Maxwell Mahama.

The 14 accused, whose pleas were taken on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder.

One of the accused, William Baah, the Assembly Member of the Denkyira Obuasi pleaded not guilty to abetment of murder, while the other 13 accused pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit murder.

They are Bernard Asamoah, Kofi Nyame, Akwasi Baah, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiak-Kubi, Michael Anim, Bismark Donkor, John Bosie, Bismark Abanga, Kwadwo Animah, Akwasi Asante, Charles Quaining and Emmanuel Baidoo and Kwadwo Animah.

Meanwhile, Bernard, Kofi, Akwasi, Kwame, Joseph, Michael, Bismark, John, Asante and Charles also pleaded not guilty to murder.

All accused now have legal representations.

The court presided over by Ms Justice Mariama Owusu, a Justice of the Court of Appeal with an additional duty as a High Court Judge, adjourned the case to April 12 for trial to commence.

On January 11, 2018, the 14 were committed by an Accra Central District Court, which found that there was enough evidence against them to stand trial on the charges preferred against them.

They were among 22 persons arraigned on charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Eight of the suspects were, however, discharged as according to the Attorney General’s Office, there was not enough evidence linking them to the crime.

Major Mahama, an Officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion at the Burma Camp, was on duty at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central region on May 29, 2017 when some residents lynched him allegedly mistaking him to be an armed robber because he had a pistol in his back pocket.

The mob ignored his pleas that he was an officer of the Ghana Armed Forces.