Witness fails to appear in court

Accra, Oct. 22 GNA - A Defence witness who had accepted to testify in court on behalf of Haleem Banda, son of Alhaji Asuma Banda, a business magnate failed to appear in court on Monday. Mr Agbesi Dzakpasu, Counsel for Haleem, told the court, presided over Mr Justice B.T. Aryeetey that one Abdul, the owner of the Office where the alleged shooting incident took place had accepted to testify for his client in the trial.

He said the Defence was shocked to hear from the witness about twenty minutes to the start of the trial that he would not be able to appear in court to testify. He said Defence Counsel could not understand why the witness declined to testify, adding that he (witness) had disappointed the Defence.

Mr Dzakpasu said the Defence was making arrangements to bring two other witnesses to the court to testify for Haleem. Mr Justice B.T. Aryeetey adjourned the case to Oct. 24, 2007. Haleem Banda is being held for two counts of threat of death, possessing firearm and ammunition without lawful authority and possessing a pump action gun with an expired licence. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Police on June 12, this year, arrested Haleem after he in the company of his brother, Sadiq, were alleged to have caused unlawful damage to property worth 9,000 dollars belonging to the Cinderella Night Club in Accra.

Haleem, Managing Director of PHC, a shipping company at Tema, has pleaded not guilty and is on a 300 million cedis bail with one surety. 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 premises of Cinderella Night Club and met Haleem at the entrance.

The accused for no reason began raining insults on Mr Banson. Mr Okyere-Darko then asked Mr Banson if he knew the accused person. Mr. Banson in response asked Mr Okyere-Darko to follow him to his car. Surprisingly Haleem pursued them with threats.

The accused was alleged to have drawn a pistol and fired three times and pointed the muzzle of the weapon at Mr Okyere-Darko' neck, asking him to talk if he was a man. Mr Banson then entered Cinderella Night club but Haleem allegedly chased him shouting, "Where are you? I will kill you." Haleem, however, drove off after he could not locate Banson. When a police patrol team arrived at the scene, Haleem had left but they found some empty shells. On June 12, during interrogation, Haleem denied firing at the scene and owing a pistol. A search conducted in his room however led to the discovery of four live pistol ammunitions, nine blank pistol ammunitions and a pistol holster.