Haleem Banda to open his defence

Accra, July 25, GNA - Haleem Banda, son of Alhaji Asoma Banda, a business tycoon, who is being held on charges of threat of death and possessing firearm and ammunition without lawful authority, would on July 27, open his defence.

This was after the prosecution led by Mrs Stella Badu, a State Attorney, had closed her case after calling seven witnesses before the Fast Track High Court.


Haleem, who has denied all the charges, has been remanded into police custody by the Court, presided over by Mr Justice Aryeetey, a Court of Appeal Judge.


Haleem was said to have threatened Mr Emmanuel Kiki Banson, a businessman and manager of the Cinderella Night Club at Cantonment in Accra and Mr Kofi Okyere-Darko, a radio presenter, with death. At about 0130 hours on June 10, this year Mr Banson and Mr Okyere-Darko came out of "The Office", a spot in the premises of Cinderella Night Club, and met Haleem at the entrance. The accused, for no reason began raining insults on Mr Banson. When Mr Okyere-Darko asked Mr Banson if he knew the accused person, he asked Mr Okyere-Darko to follow him to his car. Surprisingly Haleem pursued them amidst words of threat.


The accused allegedly drew a pistol and fired three times and pointed the muzzle of the weapon at Mr Okyere-Darko' neck and asking him to talk if he was a man.

When Mr Banson entered the Night Club Haleem allegedly chased him shouting, "Where are you? I will kill you."


Haleem drove off after he could not locate Banson. When a police patrol team arrived at the scene Haleem had left but they found empty shells.


On June 12 during interrogation, Haleem denied firing at the scene and owing a pistol.


A search conducted in his room led to the discovery of four live pistol ammunitions, nine blank pistol ammunitions and a pistol holster. The case was adjourned to July 20, for defence counsel to cross-examine Deputy Superintendent of Police Raymond Simpi who had earlier testified.