Policeman on trial denies wrongdoing

Monday, June 22, 2009 (Page 55)

THE policeman who is alleged to have led a gang of policemen and civilians to rob a businessman has denied any wrongdoing.
According to Chief Inspector Thomas Adu, he neither conspired nor committed robbery with any of the accused persons, namely, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Patrick Kwapong of the Rapid Response Unit of the Ghana Police Service, Sergeant John Agyapong, Corporal Lawrence Dennis Quansah, Lance Corporal Karimu Muntari, Constable Benjamin Blejumah, Aams Amanor, Kwasi Tawiah, Peter Kwame Gyasi and Bismark Ampofo.
Adu and the other accused persons have been accused of playing various roles in the attack and robbery of the businessman, Mr Kwaku Duah.
Chief Inspector Adu, Sergeant Agyapong, Corporal Quansah, Lance Corporal Muntari, Constable Blejumah, Amanor, Tawiah, Gyasi, aka Kwame Tawiah, and Ampofo are charged with conspiracy and robbery.
DSP Kwapong has been charged with one count of conspiracy and stealing.
Constable Ken Duodu Acheampong, Jeffrey Kwame Attah, aka Kay, and three others whose names have not been provided are on the run.
The accused persons have 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 took 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 by his , Mr Kwame Nyankon-Tetteh, to give his evidence-in-chief, Adu told the court that between 10 and 10.30 a.m. on February 2, 2009 he, Agyapong and Quansah were on their way to eat when he (Adu) received a call from DSP Kwapong instructing him to go to the hotel where Mr Duah lodged.
He said he asked Agyapong, who was by then driving a Mercedes Benz saloon car, to drive towards the hotel and on reaching there he saw Blejumah at the hotel’s reception but Blejumah could not answer his (Adu’s) question on whether or not he (Blejumah) was on duty.
According to the accused person, he also saw a soldier and a policeman heckling a young man who later turned out to be Mr Duah, adding that he and Quansah asked why Mr Duah was being heckled and they were told that Mr Duah was suspected for dealing in narcotic drugs.
He said the soldier and the policeman told him that they were from national security, adding that he also saw Jeffrey, who later turned out to be the person who had called DSP Kwapong to inform him (DSP Kwapong) that Mr Duah dealt illegally in gold and drugs.
Adu informed the court that he later found out that Mr Duah neither dealt in drugs nor illegal gold business, adding that he did not see the hotel manager who had earlier testified in the case.
The accused person told the court that he informed the soldier, the policeman, Jeffrey and Mr Duah that his superior officer, DSP Kwapong, needed to see all of them at his (DSP Kwapong’s) office.
He said on their way to Kwapong’s office, he realised that Mr Duah was bleeding from his nostrils and Mr Duah told him (Adu) that his bleeding was the result of his (Mr Duah) having jumped through a window, in the process of which his nose hit the side of the window.
Adu also informed the court that on reaching DSP Kwapong’s office, Jeffrey told DSP Kwapong that he (Jeffrey) was the informant who had called earlier to accuse Mr Duah of illegal dealings.
He said Jeffrey insisted that Mr Duah should be locked up but Kwapong said that could not be done because nothing incriminated Mr Duah to warrant his detention.
The accused person told the court that Mr Duah reported that his (Mr Duah’s) cellular phone had been taken by Jeffrey and Kwapong asked Jeffrey to return it. He said Jeffrey obliged and returned the cellular phone to Mr Duah.
He also stated that Mr Duah later said Jeffrey had taken his (Mr Duah’s) $25,000 and he, therefore, needed police assistance to retrieve it.
Adu said several calls from him and Kwapong to Jeffrey to return the $25,000 proved futile, adding that he did not make entries of the day’s activities in the station diary because he was awaiting instructions from Kwapong.
During cross-examination from counsel for Agyapong, Mr Charles Lwanga Puozing, the accused person told the court that Agyapong did not get down from the vehicle both at the hotel and on reaching Kwapong’s office.
He said Agyapong did not witness what happened at the hotel or at Kwapong’s office.
Hearing continues on July 2, 2009.