Thursday, November 22, 2007

Cocaine - Vessel Owner's father signed contract

November 17, 2007 (Page 3)

Story: Mabel Aku Baneseh

A TEMA-BASED lawyer yesterday told the Accra Fast Track High Court that he was present when the father of the owner of the MV Benjamin vessel and another person signed an agreement with Sheriff Asem Dakeh, one of the suspects in the case, now on the run.
The MV Benjamin vessel was allegedly used to cart 77 parcels of cocaine, which later disappeared.
Mr Emmanuel Francis Owuoh, the lawyer, said one Dawson, the father of Joseph Kojo Dawson, owner of the vessel, signed the charter and sale agreement with Sheriff and a Mr Bae in his office in Tema on February 6, 2006.
According to the witness, he could not influence the change of wording of the agreement, although it contained some discrepancies.
He explained that he could not influence the agreement because the parties had agreed to let go any discrepancies since Mr Bae said he was on his way to the airport to catch a flight.
For instance, although the heading of the charter and sale agreement for the vessel was stated to mean the agreement was between Dawson and the others, Dawson’s father signed instead of Dawson himself.
Another anomaly detected was that Sheriff used the name of Evans Chawetey, his brother, in signing the agreement, although the agreement was between him (Sheriff) and the others.
Kojo Dawson is being tried alongside Isaac Arhin and Philip Bruce Arhin, both Ghanaians, as well as Cui Xian Li and Luo Yin Xing, both Chinese, for allegedly playing various roles in the importation of the cocaine.
They have been charged with various counts of using property for narcotic offences, engaging in prohibited business relating to narcotics and possession of narcotic drugs without lawful authority.
Each of them has pleaded not guilty to all the charges and has been remanded in prison custody.
Answering questions under cross-examination, Mr Owuoh explained that he pulled out a piece of paper to draft the charter and sale agreement when the parties arrived in his office but he was informed that the agreement had already been drafted.
According to him, he then read it and realised the anomalies and subsequently advised his clients, who happened to be Dawson and his father, to allow him to re-draft the document but he was informed that Mr Bae would be late in catching a flight if the agreement was re-drafted.
He said he then gave up and allowed the parties to use his desk to sign the agreement while he stood by.
Asked how he got to know the Dawsons, the witness said sometime in 2005, the senior Dawson approached him and said he (senior Dawson) would like him (Mr Owuoh) to be Dashment Company’s legal counsel to which he agreed.
He said he was on a retainer for a monthly fee of ¢1 million for only three months because senior Dawson later explained that the company was having financial problems that would not allow it to continue paying him ¢1 million every month.
Earlier in his evidence-in-chief, the witness informed the court that he allowed senior Dawson to sign the charter and sale agreement because Dawson explained that his father signed the hire purchase agreement for the vessel.
He also informed the court that he was made to understand that Sheriff was to use the vessel to tow a distressed vessel at Guinea.
The witness has since completed giving his evidence and has been discharged by the court.
Hearing continues on November 21, 2007.
On Tuesday, October 16, 2007, the court ordered Dawson and the four others to open their defence and answer charges levelled against them.
Giving its ruling in a submission of ‘no case’ by counsel for the accused persons, the court held that the prosecution had succeeded in proving a prima facie case against the accused persons.
However, a sixth accused person, Pak Bok Sil, a Korean national, was acquitted and discharged by the court, which ruled that the prosecution failed to prove a case against him.

No comments: