‘Goodies’ in court, prosecutor absent

Music producer, Isaac Abeiku Aidoo, popular known as Goodies, being tried by an Accra Circuit Court for alleged narcotic offences, resurfaced in court on Friday after the trial judge expressed concern about the prosecution’s failure to produce him in court on two consecutive times.

However, trial of the case could not go on because the Chief State Attorney, Valerie Amartey, who has taken over the prosecution from the police also failed to show up in court yesterday.

When the case was called at about 10:30am, a police prosecutor, ASP Kofi Blagodzi, informed the court, presided over by Mr Iddrisu Mahamudu, that the Chief State Attorney had been taken ill, and prayed the court for a short adjourned date.

The court then adjourned roceedings to September 12.

Aidoo, Chief Executive of Goodies Music Production is facing two counts of attempted exportation and possessing narcotic drugs, without lawful authority.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

He was first put before the Greater Accra Regional Tribunal last April, but the case was transferred to the Circuit Court last month on the orders of the Chief Justice.

On August 25, Mr Mahamudu expressed doubts as to whether Aidoo was indeed in prison custody at the Nsawam Medium Prisons, because he had failed to appear before him on two occasions on the grounds of ill-health.

He said that the prosecution failed on those occasions to produce any evidence to prove that Aidoo had been ill and warned that he would visit the Nsawam Prisons one day to personally verify if Aidoo was there.

Aidoo was arrested on suspicion of possessing narcotic drugs at the Kotoka International Airport on April 23 while going through departure formalities to board a flight to London.

He was subsequently taken to the 37 Military Hospital by officials of the Narcotics Control Board for an x-ray examination which revealed that he had foreign materials in his stomach.

Aidoo was put under surveillance during which he allegedly expelled 80 pellets of whitish substances suspected to be cocaine. The substances proved positive of cocaine upon testing by the Ghana Standards Board.

The prosecution had told the tribunal at its first hearing on April 25, that during police interrogation, Aidoo said Abdul Haid, a musician resident at East Legon, Accra, gave him the drugs to be delivered to one Willie in London for a fee of $3,000.

Haid has not been located by the police.