Semenhyia runs riot in court

The manager of Semanhyia Herbal Clinic, a popular herbal clinic in Kasoa near Accra, who is standing trial in an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly selling unapproved drugs, yesterday threatened the prosecuting officer DSP Clctus Abadamloora.

Adwoa Semanhyia invoked the wrath of God on the prosecuting officer and prayed to God to punish him after which she vowed to "teach him a lesson" he would never forget.

Pointing her fingers to the ground and lifting them to the heavens, the accused person told the DSP that God would deal with him for prosecuting her case even though she was innocent.

She accused the prosecutor of being a wicked man who wants her to be jailed.

Adwoa angrily moved towards the prosecutor and told him in the face that he would be punished by God for taking her and her husband to court, especially when her husband had nothing to do with the case.

“Nyame bedi m’asem ama me,” she said, to wit: God will vindicate me.

The accused person, who expressed dissatisfaction with the prosecution of his husband for preventing the Food an Drugs Board (FDB) officers from entering their clinic, said he was intentionally charged just to get at her.

Not even explanations by the prosecutor and the investigator that they were only doing their job could convince the woman.

She also accuses the FDB boss of being a puppet of politicians in the country.

At yesterday’s hearing, the prosecutor prayed the court, presided over by Eric Kyei Baffuor, to adjourn the case since he had concluded investigations and would be ready for hearing to start.

The case was subsequently adjourned to September 31, 2011.

Adwoa has pleaded not guilty to prohibited advertisement and control of manufacturing of drugs, sale of prohibited drugs or chemical substances, registration of herbal and homeopathic drugs.

She was granted bail to the tune of GH¢20,OOO with two sureties.

Adowa's husband, who pleaded not guilty to obstruction of justice, was granted a GH¢5, OOO, bail with two sureties.

Presenting the facts of the case, DSP Cletus Abadamloora told the court that on April 29, 20 11, FDB officials received a complaint that Semanhyia Herbal Clinic operated by Adwoa was manufacturing and distributing herbal products which were not registered with the board.

He said a team of officers were assigned to go to the clinic and inspect it but the second accused person, Arko, unlawfully obstructed the process, by trying to prevent the officers from entering the clinic.

The prosecutor said when the officers finally got in Adwoa was not around but that a search conducted revealed there were unregistered herbal products such as 215 bottles of Sem Sikowa capsules, 57 bottles of Ex-power capsules, 135 bottles of Sem Gono capsules, 46 bottles of Sem Piles capsules, 96 bottles of Sem Menstrual capsules, 27 bottles of Sem Stroke capsules, 3 bottles of Sem Hernia capsules, 4 bottles of Sem Vagi Clean capsules, 2 bottles of Sem Fever Syrup and 1 bottle of Sem Typhoid medicine.

The police officer noted that due to the fact that the above-mentioned herbal products were not registere4d, their safety and efficacy could not be guaranteed so they were seized for testing.

Furthermore, he said it was detected that a number of signboards and billboards, not veted by the FDB were being used by the clinic to advertise their products for the treatment of diseases without apporoval from the FDB.

The prosecutor stated that a report was made to the Narcotics Unit of the CID headquarters for investigations while Adjoa was arrested and arraigned before court.