Gyan must be in court – Maurice Ampaw insists

The ongoing trial of 4 persons, Sarah Kwablah, Osarfo Anthony, Ekow Micah, and Chris Handler for allegedly extorting money from Asamoah Gyan was heard in court on Thursday 28th January, 2015.

The hearing continued with further cross-examination of his manager, Samuel Anim Addo, who is the main complainant for the soccer star in the case.

Dr. Maurice Ampaw, who is the defense counsel for the 4 accused continued his cross-examination which he had started about a month ago.

Since the extortion case came about as a result of an alleged rape/sodomy case, lawyer Ampaw continued his cross-examination from the alleged rape/sodomy against Asamoah Gyan as a build-up to the substantive charge – extortion against his clients.

In an earlier ever-dramatic cross-examination, lawyer Ampaw asked the below:

Maurice Ampaw: Explain your managerial role to Asamoah Gyan to this court.

Samuel Anim: I manage his businesses, PR, Family and social life.

Maurice Ampaw: Do you mange Asamoah Gyan’s love, sex, and women affairs?

Samuel Anim: I don’t understand the question my lord.

Maurice Ampaw: I mean if Asamoah Gyan is going in for a woman or have sex with her, do you manage that too?

Samuel Anim: My lord I have my limit.

Maurice Ampaw: Tell this court the extent of your limit?

Samuel Anim fumbled for seconds until the judge objected that question.

Maurice Ampaw: What is Sarah Kwabla to Asamoah Gyan?

Samuel Anim: A friend.

Trial judge warned Samuel Anim not to answer questions as though he is contesting the lawyer. “Address me” said the judge.

Maurice Ampaw: What kind of friend – girlfriend? Concubine?

Samuel Anim looked dazed and tired of answering. He heaved a deep sigh of relief.

Maurice Ampaw: What did Asamoah Gyan go to do in Sarah’s house?

Samuel Anim: My lord I don’t know.

Maurice Ampaw: Did you enter Sarah’s apartment?

Samuel Anim: No my lord. Only Asamoah did.

Maurice Ampaw: So you don’t know what Asamoah did with Sarah inside right?

Samuel Anim: Yes my lord.

Maurice Ampaw then put it to Samuel that, “Asamoah Gyan followed Sarah upstairs, pounced on her, raped her and after, forcibly had sex with her in her anus! He raped and sodomized her! After, Sarah bled profusely! Asamoah Gyan then pulled a knife at her….He warned her not to let the public or anyone know this.

Samuel Anim: I was not there my lord.

Maurice Ampaw: He also told Sarah that if she keeps shut on it, he will give her any amount of money she asks for.

Samuel Anim: I was not there my lord.

Maurice Ampaw: I put it to you that Asamoah had confrontation with Sarah and picked a knife to stab her.

Samuel Anim: I was not there my lord.

Maurice Ampaw: Later Sarah got pregnant and Asamoah Gyan asked you to manage it – true or false?

Samuel Anim: My lord it’s not true.

Maurice Ampaw: Samuel Anim, I suggest to you that you are not being truthful to this honourable court! You convinced Sarah to abort the pregnancy. You took her to a quack doctor to have the pregnancy aborted! I suggest to you you are not being truthful to this court!

Samuel Anim: My lord I’m being truthful.

When all the answers coming from Samuel Annim were all in the no-affirmative, the trial judge asked Lawyer Ampaw to drift from that angle a plea that charged Lawyer Ampaw to retort, “They are not prepared to produce Asamoah Gyan to court. If they are, they should bring him as witness.” (Laughed teasingly).

The Prosecution got up and reacted, “You don’t tell the prosecutor who he brings to court as witness. We will determine that. We can choose to bring him or not.”

Lawyer Ampaw made more disclosure in his cross-examination by asking Samuel Anim more questions bothering on rape/sodomy. He told the court that Samuel Annim once sent him a Whatsapp message in which Sammy Annim, stated that if Asamoah Gyan fucked Sarah Kwablah and so…..

“My lord, Sammy Anim sent me lawyer Maurice Ampaw a Whatsapp message and in the message he said…my lord sorry the word he used is a bit unpleasant for me to say… he said and I’m quoting him, “If Asamoah Gyan fucked her and so…?” lawyer Ampaw told the court.

Sammy Anim, in his response, told the court that he never sent any such message to the celebrated lawyer. Sammy Annim had told the court earlier in cross-examination that Asamoah Gyan never told him anything about his affair with Sarah Kwablah – so lawyer Ampaw put it to Sammy Annim that he is not being truthful to the court, because, he Sammy Annim sent a Whatsapp message to Sarah in which he indicated, he quoted, “I am aware of everything from day one.”

Again, Samuel Anim denied having sent any such message to Sarah. “Asamoah Gyan directed you Sammy to confirm A1’s (Sarah) pregnancy at the hospital” lawyer Ampaw put it to Samuel Anim — which the latter admitted is true.

Lawyer Ampaw asked Sammy Anim, “You have already told this court that you have no knowledge of the affair between Asamoah Gyan and A1 (Sarah) because Asamoah Gyan never told you anything about their affair – – so how did you get to know that Sarah got pregnant?

Samuel Annim then told the court Asamoah Gyan told him about the pregnancy after 3 months when Sarah claimed she is pregnant. Lawyer Maurice Ampaw ended his cross-examination but will continue so in the next hearing come 8th Feb, 2016.

If the prosecution does not bring Asamoah to court to either confine or deny the allegations lawyer Ampaw has put and suggested to Samuel Anim, they become facts in the eyes of the law in the trial – hence the need for him to appear before court to testify.