Soldier Arrested In Coup Allegation

AN army corporal who wanted to visit the United States through the back door rather ended up in a Burma Camp guardroom with a coup plot charge hanging around his neck.

Weeping copiously and uncontrollably at the Osu Circuit Court last week Friday, Corporal Augustine Nyarko, told the crowded court how the very person who was to secure the visa for him reported him to the security agencies for plotting a coup with Mr. Victor Smith, Special Assistant to ex-President Jerry John Rawlings.

Corporal Nyarko told the court that following the false accusation, he was arrested, questioned and dumped in a guardroom at Burma Camp for several days.

According to him, he was surprised that Cynthia Tamakloe who collected 3, 000 dollars and ?1.4 million from him to get him an American visa for his trip, but failed to do so, had reported him for planning a coup he had no knowledge about.

Police Inspector P. A. Shrpong prosecuting said early this year, Corporal Nyarko discussed with an uncle who works at the Ministry of Foreign Affair that he needed a visa to travel to the United State to visit another relation.

The prosecutor said the uncle also introduced him to a friend at the Passport Office to assist him to acquire a Ghanaian passport.

The official at the passport also introduced Cynthia Tamakloe as a staff of the U.S. Embassy who could process the visa for him.

Accordingly Corporal Nyarko paid 1,500 U. S. dollars through the staff at the Passport Office to Cynthia as part payment. He said another 1,500 dollars was paid to Cynthia.

The prosecutor said in May, this year Cynthia called him on phone that he should come with ?1.4 million to the U.S embassy and collect his Visa.

Mr. Shrpong said after collecting the money Cynthia lied that the person to hand him the visa had just gone out and that she was waiting to collect it for him.