There was barely any discussion of a coup in group chats presented as evidence - ACP Agordzo

Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Benjamin Agordzo, has revealed some details about the much-publicised treason case which he had to deal with for last five years.

Speaking to Daniel Oduro on The Lowdown on GhanaWeb TV, ACP Agordzo maintained his innocence in the case and disclosed that there was barely any mention or planning of a coup in one of the WhatsApp platforms provided as evidence.

According to him, although he was not part of the platform, he read documents containing chats from it, which were presented to the court, and noticed that the only mention of a coup was when an undisclosed individual suggested it, this eventually led to a heated argument with the late Dr. Frederic Mac-Palm; who later removed the person from the group.

"They alleged that a particular WhatsApp platform called ‘The Executive Platform’ was where this whole thing was discussed...I also had copies of whatever that platform contained. You will observe that there was a certain man who tried to say something in connection with what they alleged about the planning.

"And everybody who read that thing read that Dr. Mac-Palm was opposed to that person, and as a result, he took him off the platform. They had a whole quarrel, a misunderstanding, because of what the man said," he said.

This incident, according to ACP Agordzo, was the only mention of a coup from the group chat in the documents he saw, thus he had no idea where the accusation came from.

"So when they were talking about coups; maybe they had some materials that they produced in courts based upon which the judges took their decision. So I don't have a problem with it.

"But if it was that platform and if that was the planning they were talking about, then for me, I'm very sorry," he said.

"Everybody listening to me could access that information and read whether Dr Mac-Palm did not remove that person from the platform for that," he added.

Dr. Agordzo, who was accused of abetting an overthrow of the government, was one of the three individuals who were acquitted by the High Court on Wednesday, January 24, 2024.

The other two were Colonel Samuel Kodzo Gameli and Corporal Seidu Abubakar, both military officers. They were found not guilty of conspiracy to commit high treason and high treason after a full trial.

However, six of their co-accused were convicted on the same charges and sentenced to death. They included the late Dr. Frederick Yao Mac-Palm, the alleged mastermind and owner of the Citadel Hospital, where the suspects were arrested during a police raid in 2019.

The others were Donya Kafui, Bright Allan Debrah Ofosu, Warrant Officer Class Two Esther Saan Dekuwine, Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, and Sergeant Averey Amedzor.

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