Secret combination locks could be opened in 24 hours - Police officer

A senior police officer said that someone with a "mechanical acumen" could open a suitcase with secret combination locks between eight and 24 hours.

The green suitcase of the former Youth and Sports Minister, Mallam Yusuf Isa, which has secret combination locks, could possibly have, therefore, been opened since it was found 96 hours after it was checked in at the Kotoka International Airport.

The police officer, who was part of the investigating team, said in as much as he agrees that such a suitcase could be opened within that time frame, he considers it very difficult for one to have done so since that person had to use both the keys and the secret security numbers to achieve that.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Vance Baba Gariba of the Criminal Data Services Department at the Police Headquarters in Accra was answering questions under cross-examination by Mr Ambrose Derry, Counsel for Mallam Isa, at the Fast Track Court in Accra.

Mallam Isa is charged with stealing and fraudulently causing financial loss to the state. He has pleaded not guilty and has been granted 500 million cedis bail.

The green suitcase where Mallam Isa said he put 46,000 dollars meant as winning bonus for the senior national soccer team, the Black Stars and imprest for officials during a orld Cup qualifier in Sudan last February.

Demonstrating how the green suitcase was tempered with, ASP Gariba explained that its handle was broken, the inner lining ripped off and an opening created at the bottom.

He said it would be difficult for something to have come out of the suitcase through the opening since only three of his fingers could enter.

Mr Derry then pointed out to witness that since there were no standardised fingers, someone with smaller fingers could still go through the suitcase with ease.

ASP Gariba said the security numbers for green suitcase were "366", which, he said, represent Mallam Isa's birthday. However when he was demonstrating how the suitcase could be opened, he used "000".

ASP Gariba said even though any number could be use to lock the suitcase and only the secret numbers "366" could be used to open it, he used "000" to open the suitcase in court because the numbers had changed.

When asked whether apart from the original keys one could not use any mechanism like the use of the "Master key" to open the suitcase, ASP Gariba said he had no idea.

Mr Derry said his client had told Gariba during the IGP's Committee of Inquiry that he had lost the keys and disagreed with Gariba that one needed both the keys and the secret numbers to open the suitcase.

However, ASP Gariba disputed the assertion. Mrs Theresa Selormey, a cashier of the Bank of Ghana, told the court that on February 23, she received a letter from the Accountant-General's Department to pay sums of money to the Ministry of Youth and Sports to cater for the Black Stars and officials for the Sudan trip.

She said she paid the money in three categories - 46,000 dollars, 8,656 dollars and 1,042 dollars.

Mrs Selormey said the only time she came into contact with Mallam Isa was when a group of CIDs from the Police Headquarters and some officials from the Ministry of Youth and Sports came to her boss, Mrs Christiana Laryea, for a demonstration on how the monies were delivered.

When asked which one was safer to carry when travelling, a travellers' cheque or physical cash, Mrs Laryea said it depends on the wishes of the clients. However, she thinks that the travellers' cheques are more convenient.

Sitting has been adjourned to Monday, May 21.