'I signed agreement for purchase of MV Benjamin'

November 27, 2007

Story: Mabel Aku Baneseh

THE father of the owner of the MV Benjamin vessel which was allegedly used to cart 77 parcels of cocaine yesterday confirmed that he signed an agreement with the alleged cocaine fugitive, Sheriff Asem Dakeh.
Mr John Kwabena Dawson told the Accra Fast Track High Court through an interpreter that he signed the sale and charter agreement for the vessel, although he was not the Managing Director of Dashment Company Limited.
He explained that he signed the agreement because he had signed the hire purchase agreement for the vessel.
The MV Benjamin vessel was allegedly used to cart 77 parcels of cocaine, which later disappeared.
Answering questions under cross-examination, Mr Dawson further explained that his son, Joseph Kojo Dawson, who is standing trial with four others, gave him (Mr Dawson) the consent to sign the agreement on behalf of the company.
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.
The accused persons 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.
Mr Dawson said he signed the charter and sale agreement with Sheriff and Mr Gill Bae, the original owner of the vessel, in Tema around 4.00 p.m. on February 6, 2006.
He said the charterer was responsible for repair works on the vessel, which had then broken down, and further stated that he did not know the cost of repair works on the vessel.
The witness, who said he had been in the shipping business for the past 30 years, said Mr Bae was to receive payment for the charter of the ship but he could not tell whether or not Mr Bae had received payment.
An accountant of Dashment Company Limited, Prince Okyere, in his evidence-in-chief, informed the court that the last time he paid crew members on board the MV Benjamin was in February 2005.
He said Isaac and Philip were among the first batch of 31 people he paid off, adding that Mr Bae paid off the second batch of workers.
According to him, the vessel developed a problem in February 2005 and for that matter a canoe was sent to deploy the first batch of crew members.
During cross-examination, Mr Okyere informed the court that he would be surprised if Dawson had already informed the court that workers were paid off in March 2005 and not February 2005.
He denied an assertion by the prosecution that a prosecution witness, James Inkoom, who was a cook on board the MV Benjamin, was not in the employment of Dashment Company in 2005.
According to the witness, Inkoom left after his (Inkoom’s) wife died some time in 2004 but returned to the company in 2005.
Hearing continues on December 6, 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.