Ofosu-Ampofo Trial: Stay of Proceedings verdict set for 30 July

The Accra High Court on Tuesday set July 30 to rule on a stay of proceedings application by Mr Tony Lithur, lead counsel for Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Chairman for the National Democratic Congress charged with conspiracy to cause harm and assault on public officers.

The Party Chairman’s accomplice, Anthony Kwaku Boahen, a Deputy Communications Director of the party has also been charged with conspiracy to cause harm.

The adjournment is to allow both the members of the bar and bench to attend an on-going conference.

The Court presided over by Mr Samuel K. Asiedu said he would be taking oral submissions instead of written ones to prevent delays in the process.

This is because both the Attorney General and defence counsel had caused delays by not filing their applications on time, not responding on time or failing to respond to some motions filed at all.

Mrs Yvonne Attakora Obuobisa, Director of Public Prosecutions at the Attorney-General’s Office on Tuesday, told the Court that the (AG) had filed an affidavit in opposition to the application, but Mr Lithur denied being served with that.

Mr Lithur asked that written submissions be allowed to enable the case to proceed but the judge said he would prefer oral ones to fast track the trial.

The Court then asked the Prosecution to present its first witness but it told the Court that the witness was indisposed.

Prosecution had earlier told the court that in January this year, a by-election was conducted at the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency as a result of the demise of its Member of Parliament.

The Prosecution said there were disturbances in the course of the elections and on February 3, Mr Ofosu-Ampofo met the Party’s Communication Directors at its Headquarters located at Adabraka, a suburb of Accra.

The prosecution said an audio recording which came out of the meeting and was circulated by a cross-section of the media contained a set-up of a road-map of criminal activities targeted at the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) and the Chairman of the National Peace Council among others.

Prosecution said the tape was intercepted by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Police Service.

The AG said that the orchestrated electoral violence plot was going to be blamed on the New Patriotic Party, which is the ruling party.

The Prosecution said, Mr Boahen later confirmed being at the meeting as well as confessed that the content of the tape was true on a popular radio station.