State absent to prosecute Alhaji Dawood

State prosecutors were absent in court to continue the case of Alhaji Dawood Mohammed, a businessman, standing trial for abetment of crime.

The prosecutors failed to appear in court even though the time set for the hearing by the court at the previous adjourned date was at 0830 hours.

An Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Mr Francis Obiri, told the court that he had not received any official correspondence from the state, indicating they would be absent.

He, therefore, set Tuesday December 23 to rule on the renewed bail application filed by the accused person’s counsel.

Mr Addo Attuah, counsel for the accused person, wanted the judge to grant his client bail to enable him spend time with his family during the Christmas period.

Mr Richard Gyambiby, Assistant State Attorney, had told the court that at a previous sitting that the accused person and one Nayele Ametefeh, alias Ruby Appiah, alias Ruby Adu Gyamfi, are bosom friends.

He said the accused person was also a friend with almost all the employees at the VIP Lounge of the Kotoka International Airport.

He said there was an indication that through his interactions with Nayele, the accused person got to know that Nayele intended to travel with drugs to the United Kingdom.

“In the furtherance of her objective, the accused person offered his influence at the VIP Lounge to help Nayele use the VIP Lounge ostensibly to evade detection of security officers,” he added.

He said, therefore, on or before November 9, the accused person, relying on his influence at the VIP lounge, got one Abiel Ashitey Armah and two others, who have already been charged before the court, to assist Nayele to use the facility.

Mr Gyambiby said on November 10, Nayele was arrested in the United Kingdom, after cocaine was found in her baggage.

He said upon hearing the arrest of Nayele, the accused fled to Nigeria, but he was placed on a wanted list by the BNI. He, however, returned from Nigeria.

The State Attorney said on his return, he was arrested and a search conducted on him revealed three Ghanaian passports and two Nigerian passports.

Nayele, who is currently in the custody of UK, recently appeared before the Isleworth Crown Court in London where she pleaded guilty and demanded an early sentence. The Court, however, deferred sentencing to January 5, 2015.