Sunyani, July 4, GNA - A magistrate's court in Sunyani on Tuesday granted a 100 million cedis bail with three sureties to the queen mother of Atronie, Nana Wirekoaa Afriyie, 57, who was arrested and placed in custody for allegedly harbouring two of her sons, suspects, in the Atronie murder case.
The queenmother, charged for harbouring criminals, was ordered to report to the police every Monday and Friday to assist the police in their investigations and to re-appear before the court on July 17. The court also discharged 13 other suspects arrested by the police in connection with the murder of Mr. Anthony Yeboah-Boateng, the Administrator of the Goaso Government Hospital, on Easter Sunday at Atronie, near Sunyani.
A total of 41 persons suspected to be involved in the murder were arrested and arraigned but nine of them were earlier discharged. Assistant Superintendent of Police Martin Dafeamekpor told the court that the 13 suspects discharged were also found to be innocent after screening.
He said the police could invite them any time they were needed to assist in investigations.
The prosecutor said the remaining suspects in custody, including the husband of the queenmother, would reappear on July 17. Some unidentified youth of Atronie allegedly pounced on the deceased at about 2130 hours on Easter Sunday as he, his wife and a Roman Catholic reverend sister were conveying the body of his aunt in his private car from Sunyani to Goaso Government Hospital. The youth had barricaded the road for a street jam to celebrate the Easter festivities and mistook Mr. Boateng to be an ad ritual murderer and assaulted him to death.
The two women were however saved by a policeman who whisked them to the safety of the police station but also had his share of the assault.
In another development the Sunyani Municipal Police on Tuesday arraigned the 62-year-old chief of Atronie, Nana Amponsem Darko 11, for his alleged involvement in the mob action that led to the murder of Mr. Yeboah-Boateng.
Nana Darko was charged with abetment of crime and was remanded to re-appear on July 17.
