Bail conditions given to some six persons at the center of a case in which 61 slabs of whitish substance, suspected to be cocaine, which were intercepted at the Tema Port have been reviewed by an Accra Fast Track High Court (FTC).
The court, presided over by Justice Irismay Brown, an Appeal Court judge, sitting as an additional High court judge, yesterday effected changes to the earlier bail conditions following the inability of some of the suspect to meet the provisions.
According to the court, persons not in possession of passports or traveling documents are to deposit either voters ID cards or other forms of identification document and two passport pictures.
Additionally, two title deeds requested by the court on the last adjourned date are to be deposited with the registrar of the high Court within 48 hours, while the registrar, together with officials of NACOB are to ensure verification and authentication by the land registry within 21 days.
The court therefore noted that the accused persons are to be released on bail when able to satisfy the bail conditions. Sitting was adjourned to May 29, 2009.
The suspects, Augustina Abu, an importer, Yaw Nkansah Attah, a clearing agent, Alfred Amedzi, the Managing Director of Secko Agency, Kennedy Osei and Simon Fafa Bedu, both workers of Secko Agency Limited and Francis Abbey, a driver, were arrested by a joint patrol team consisting of officers from the Narcotic Control Board (NACOB), Custom, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), Ghana Ports and Habours Authority (GPHA) and police on suspicion of dealing in narcotic drug. The suspects, who were slapped with a provisional charge of conspiracy to import narcotic drug, pleaded not guilty to the offence.
The court previously demanded that the accused persons should deposit their passports at NACOB and provide two title deeds of properties owned by them, their relatives or friends as securities to be verified in the office of NACOB.
The court had further demanded for two close relatives of each of the suspects, who are to be ascertained by NACOB officials in order to guarantee their attendance as well as individual suspects to report to named officials of NACOB on daily basis.
The court granted the suspects bail based on the facts that the suspected product was yet to be verified by the Ghana Standard Board.
The 61 slabs, weighing 71.7 kilogrammes were found among sachets of chewing gums in a container were on May 15, 2009, imported through M/V Mearsk Nolanville, docked at the Tema Port from Ecuador, Panama and Spain.
The Senior State Attorney, Mr. Paul Asibi Abarya had indicated that the container, numbered MSKU 0118160 and manifested to contain 1,880 cartons of chewing gum was imported by Augustina Abu of Augustina Abu enterprise.
The said container was then tagged by the joint port control unit (JPCU), indicating that the container could only be opened and examined in the presence of the joint security control team at the port.
Prosecution noted that on May 19, 2009, at about 3.30pm, the said container was scanned and images disclosed that it contained suspicious objects.
During thorough examination, two carrier bags containing a total of 61 slabs of whitish substance suspected to be cocaine were found among the sachets of chewing gum, the court was told.
According to the prosecution, the suspects had denied knowledge of the offence as investigations continues.
Comments 1 to 1 of 1 Post a comment
Rawlings Togo Bandits in The Gambia??? Dida Halake Explains!!!
The recent failed coup attempt in Togo casts some light on rebel activities in that country and somehow links it to the pictured gentlemans activities in The Gambia. The first coup attempt was against late President Eyadema and it was organized according to reliable information from Jerry Rawlings Ghana by Gilchrist Olympio, the current Opposition Leader who has just legged it to Ghana. When Gilchrist sent in his boys prematurely so as to make himself the President should the coup succeed, Rawlings was mad and summoned him to The Castle in the middle of the night. Jerry put the trembling Gilchrist under house arrest for 2 years for his impetuous behaviour which resulted in the failure of the coup attempt. Olympios nephew Lucian Agbeko Kwame Hounkanlil Olympio (pictured) was convicted in absentia and he ran away to Europe (He has since confessed to his key role in that earlier coup). From London where he now teaches, he has been able to continue clandestine political work and there is some claim that he and the Togo Opposition clandestinely supported last months failed coup attempt too then immediately writing the post-coup Press Release from London to absolve Gilchrist Olympio.
For the Olympios it really is a matter of revenge against the Eyademas. The late President Eyadema overthrew and executed the First President of Togo the dictatorial Sylvanus Olympio in 1963. The second generation of Olympios which includes Rawlings (who some claim is really Togolese) have not forgiven the Eyademas and are determined to overthrow them. It is almost an ancient biblical tribal feud that the Olympios are embarked on.
Lucian Olympio is a regular visitor to The Gambia through his former girlfriend. The girlfriend dumped him for fellow Fula man Jungo Bah, former diplomat to Belgium. Apparently, Olympio has a group of his boys in The Gambia and they were sent to visit the ex-girlfriend in the Cotton Club. Lucian Olympios financial clout is such that he was not only able to get away with invading Jungo Bahs home and confronting Jungo Bahs wife (about Jungo snatching girlfriend!), but he was also able to get an NIA senior official called George to visit and warn Jungo Bah. The Gambian girlfriend of Jungo Bahs remains faithful to Jungo Bah. Olympio has also been seeking alliance with a certain influential Gambian to pressurise Jungo Bah, but the Gambian has wisely declined inspite of Olympios occasional remittances. But Olympios boys still remain there, so beware Mr. Jungo Bah!!! Although I am proud to say that although Gambians may receive remittances out of need, they do not necessarily follow this up with harassing fellow Gambians on behalf of such unscrupulous people. In other countries, as we all know, they would kill somebody innocent just for a remittance!
The Olympios are a Mulatto mix and light-skinned. To this day it is understood that many still try to keep their skin light through marriage to other light-skinned people (To his credit, Jerry Rawlings had the guts to marry a beautiful dark-skinned African woman whom he still loves nice peace on skin colour issues last week Watchman!). Until the abolition of slavery, the Mulatto Olympios related to the white slave traders through blood were slave dealers selling black Africans to be transported across the Atlantic. To this day the Mulatto Olympios consider themselves superior to darker-skinned Black Africans like the Eyademas and the majority Togolese. Just as happened with the Americo-Liberian rule of the Tubmans in Liberia in the 1980s when Samuel Doe led a coup, the Black Africans resented this condenscending attitude. That led to the deposing and assassination of President Olympio in 1963 and the assumption of power by Eyadema.
But we hope the youngest Olympio is not planning the next move against the Eyademas from The Gambia, for peaceful Gambia will never tolerate such a thing against any of our African neighbours. Anyhow, would-be coupists and revolutionaries should remain level headed and certainly keep their eyes on the ball hot-headed passion may expose their stories to journalists like us when they pursue their jealousy too far!
PS. On my plans for writing this piece being discovered, I was threatened with all sorts of calamities. Two strangers visited my home in Kotu pretending to be state security and asking for me. I have ascertained from authorities that these chaps are simply bandits and they have been reported to Kotu Police Station
By Dida Halake didahalake@hotmail.com
May 06, 2009 by FREEDOMNEWSPAPER.COM May 10th by ALLGAMBIAN.NET.