Alhaji Dawood remanded

Alhaji Mohammed Dawood, the man alleged to have aided Nayele Ametefeh to transport cocaine to the United Kingdom (UK), has been remanded in custody by the Circuit Court in Accra.

He was refused bail by the court, presided over by Mr Francis Obiri. 

He is to reappear on December 8, 2014.

Ametefeh, also known as Ruby Appiah, was arrested by the UK security operatives at the Heathrow Airport with an estimated 12.5kg of cocaine.

She has since pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges.

She is expected in the UK court on January 5, 2015 for sentencing.

It is alleged that she successfully trafficked the cocaine out of Ghana, with the assistance of some persons at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) on November 9, 2014. 

Dawood has pleaded not guilty to one count of  abetment of crime, namely, exportation of narcotic drugs, contrary to sections 56 (c) and 1 (1) of the Narcotic Drugs (Control, Enforcement and Sanctions) Act, 1990 (PNDCL 236).

Court session

Earlier, a State Attorney, Mr Richard Gyambiby, had prayed the court to remand Dawood because investigations were ongoing, but counsel for the accused person, Mr Addo Atuah, pleaded with the court to grant his client bail.

Mr Atuah denied reports that his client was picked up on his arrival at the KIA and explained that he had, indeed, accompanied Dawood to the offices of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) to report himself after his name had emerged in the media as a wanted person.

The court, however, refused the bail application.

Facts

Brief facts on the case are that Dawood and Ametefeh are bosom friends.

There are indications that Dawood got to know that she intended to travel with drugs to the United Kingdom.

“In furtherance of her objective, the accused person offered to use his influence at the VIP Lounge at the KIA, ostensibly to evade detection by security officers.

“Therefore, on or before November 9, 2014, the accused person, relying on his influence at the VIP Lounge, called Abiel Ashitey Armah and two others who have already been charged before this court, to assist Ametefeh to use the VIP Lounge,” the prosecution noted.

Ametefeh used the VIP Lounge together with her two friends who had been picked up and charged.

Arrest

According to the prosecution, Dawood was placed on the wanted list of the BNI and was apprehended on his arrival from Nigeria.

“A search on him revealed he had three Ghanaian and two Nigerian passports,” it added.

- See more at: http://graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/34926-alhaji-dawood-remanded.html#sthash.GLcs5Iyi.dpuf