Coup plot trial: You’ve waived your rights to cross-examination – Court tells 3 soldiers

The High Court has reportedly waived the right of three of the accused persons in the alleged coup plot case to cross-examine witnesses in the ongoing trial.

The three-persons are the soldiers who were part of the coup plot allegedly masterminded by the late Dr Frederic Mac-Palm.

They are Corporal Seidu Abubakar, Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, and Corporal Sylvester Akanpewon.

According to a news report by The Chronicle newspaper, the rights to cross-examination of the soldiers were relinquished after they failed to cross-examine the third accused person Bright Alan Debrah Ofosu.

The report indicated that the three soldiers did not cross-examine the witness because they had no legal representation.

They told the court that they needed the assistance of legal practitioners to be able to engage in the examination.

But the three High Court judges presiding over the case - Afia Serwaa Botwe-Asare, Hafisata Amaleboba, and Stephen Oppong – ruled that their application would not be granted because they had been previously warned about their legal representation.

Background:

Dr. Mac-Palm Frederick, who recently died, together with two others; Ezor Kafui and Bright Allan Debrah Ofosu, were picked up on Friday, September 20, 2019, by a joint team from the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) and the Criminal Investigative Department (CID) for plotting a coup against the presidency with the intent to destabilize the country.

In a press release, the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, revealed how state agencies detected and foiled a planned attack on the Jubilee House, leading to the retrieval of several arms, explosive devices, and ammunition from Alajo and Bawaleshie in Accra and Dodowa, respectively.

Following the alleged coup attempt, the three accused persons were today, September 24, arraigned before the Kaneshie District Court and slapped with five charges.

Some of the charges they’re faced with are conspiracy to commit crimes; to wit, manufacturing of arms and ammunition without lawful authority, possessing explosives and firearms without lawful excuse, and manufacturing firearms without lawful authority.

But reacting to the charges after court proceedings, Dr. Mac-Palm, while being escorted by the BNI to his vehicle, shouted by pleading innocent to the charges levelled against him.

According to him, he knows the truth will definitely come out for him to be vindicated, so he is not in any way bothered about the whole issue.

However, the Kaneshie District Court, presided over by the magistrate, Rosemond Dodua Agyiri, has remanded the alleged coup plotters into BNI custody and ordered that family members and lawyers be allowed to visit the accused persons.

This follows after the prosecutor; ASP Sylvester Asare asked the court to remand the three suspects into BNI custody to enable them to continue with investigations smoothly.

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