I was present when incident took place - Hotel Manager tells court

Tuesday, May 19, 2009 (Page 3 Lead)
A PROSECUTION witness yesterday told the circuit court hearing the case involving six policemen and six civilians who are standing trial for allegedly robbing a businessman that he was present when the businessman was assaulted and robbed.
Mr George Kojo Agbelengo, the manager of the hotel where the businessman, Mr Kwaku Duah, lodged, identified Chief Inspector Thomas Adu as one of those involved in the attack.
He said he also saw Adu removing an envelope from Mr Duah’s pocket after the latter had been assaulted by Adu and other police officers whom he could not identify.
Chief Inspector Adu is standing trial with DSP Patrick Kwapong of the Rapid Response Unit (RRU) of the Ghana Police Service, Sergeant John Agyapong, Corporal Lawrence Dennis Quansah, Lance Corporal Karimu Muntari, Constable Benjamin Blejumah, Aams Amanor, a civilian friend of the complainant’s, Kwasi Tawiah, Peter Kwame Gyasi, alias Kwame Tawiah, and Bismark Ampofo.
Constable Ken Duodu Acheampong, Jeffrey Kwame Attah, alias Kay, and three others whose names were not provided are on the run.
DSP Kwapong has been charged with one count of conspiracy, while the other accused persons have been charged with conspiracy and robbery. They have all pleaded not guilty to the charges and have been refused bail by the court, presided over by Mr Mahamadu Iddrisu.
They were alleged to have robbed Mr Duah, who lives in Europe, at a hotel in Accra and taken away $53,000, €1,000 and GH¢2,000.
They were also alleged to have robbed the victim of a black bag containing two compact disc Walkman players, a set of keys, a digital camera, a cheque book and other items all valued at $4,000.
Led in evidence by a Chief State Attorney, Ms Cynthia Lamptey, the witness told the court that Adu brutally assaulted Mr Duah, along with the other security officers but he could not identify the three others.
According to the witness, on February 2, 2009, Adu and the police officers arrived at the hotel in a Toyota Corolla saloon car and a Mercedes Benz saloon car.
Mr Agbelengo said two police officers whom he could not identify approached him and asked to see the occupant of Room 205 but he later found, after cross-checking, that there was no occupant in that room.
The witness said the police officers made a few calls and later informed him (witness) that they (police officers) were at the hotel to visit the occupant of Room 108, not Room 205.
The hotel manager said he then checked and found that the occupant of Room 108 was Mr Duah, adding that he called Mr Duah on the hotel’s intercom to inform him that policemen were looking for him.
According to the him, he later saw Mr Duah emerge from behind the building, while other policemen forcibly broke into his (Mr Duah’s) room, adding that Adu pounced on Mr Duah and began assaulting him immediately he (Adu) spotted Mr Duah.
He said Mr Duah was later shoved into the waiting Mercedes Benz saloon car and it was at that point that he saw Adu remove the envelope from Mr Duah’s pocket.
Mr Agbelengo said Aams arrived and told him (the witness) that he (Aams) had gone out to call genuine policemen because he (Aams) was suspicious of the policemen who had taken Mr Duah away.
The witness also informed the court that Aams told him (witness) that he (witness) should not worry about Mr Duah’s safety because the policemen would just beat him up, take his money and later release him, adding, “I wondered how Aams knew that.”
According to Mr Agbelengo, he, together with Aams, Mr Duah’s relative and one of the hotel workers, had gone to Mr Duah’s room to inspect the state of the room after it had been ransacked by the accused persons.
Asked what the state of the room was when they entered, the witness said, “The door was vandalised and the room was somehow ransacked.”
He said Mr Duah arrived in the night after he had been taken away in the morning and checked out of the hotel, with the explanation that he (Mr Duah) did not feel safe any longer.
During cross-examination from counsel for Agyapong, Mr Charles Lwanga Puozuing, the witness told the court that he could not recognise Agyapong as one of the police officers who had attacked and robbed Mr Duah.
He also told the court that he and three others, namely, Nana Kwaku Frimpong, Francis Felix Amuzu and Emmanuel Amuzu, witnessed the incident at the hotel.
Mr Agbelengo told the court during cross-examination from counsel for Muntari, Mr Shahadu Mohammed, that he could not remember whether or not Muntari had been present at the scene.
He explained that he could remember Adu because he (Adu) was more active during the raid at the hotel.
Counsel for Adu, Mr Kwame Nyankon-Tetteh, is expected to cross-examine the witness on Thursday, May 21, 2009.