Docket on Nyaho's son referred to A-G's office

Accra, Sept. 29, GNA - Ellis Tamakloe, a son of Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, Ghana's Ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro and one Roger Ocloo, a worker of DHL, who were arrested for attempting to export drugs have had their case docket referred to the Attorney-General's Office for advice.

This came to light when they made their fifth appearance before the Greater Accra Regional Tribunal on Friday.

The two have been charged for engaging in a criminal conspiracy to commit crime in relation to narcotic drugs and attempted exportation of narcotic drug without lawful authority and have been on remand despite persistent applications to the Court to grant them bail. The Court has not taken their plea. When sitting resumed, Mr Alex Annor, Principal State Attorney said the investigator in the case had just sent the docket to the A-G Office for advice.

"At this stage they are suspects and we are now going to decide their fate."

Mr Joseph Turkson, who represented Ocloo, said the law presumed that accused were deemed innocent until they were found guilty adding that they should be granted bail pending the decision of the A-G. When the Court asked the Prosecution whether he objected to bail, he replied the docket was not assigned to him.

The Court in its ruling said it was true that they were suspects but that did not mean they were entitled to bail. The accused persons were remanded into custody to reappear on October 27. The Prosecution had earlier told the Tribunal chaired by Mr Justice Frank Manu that on August 30, 2006 the Operational Manager of DHL, while inspecting parcels, which were sent to his office by Ocloo, detected that one of them meant for the United Kingdom contained compressed dried leaves suspected to be cannabis. A report was made to the Narcotic Control Board and Ocloo was arrested and when his room was searched, a number of waybills including a copy of the original one pasted on the parcel were found. The Prosecution said when the accused was interrogated he stated that the parcels were given to him by Tamakloe. Tamakloe told interrogators that one Harry gave the parcel to him to be sent by courier. Harry is on the run and the Police are making every effort to arrest him. The exhibit has been forwarded to the Ghana Standards Board for examination. 29 Sept 06