Friday, July 9,2010 (Lead Story)
THE Chief Executive of Exopa Modelling Agency, Ibrahim Sima, yesterday told the Accra Fast Track High Court that he admitted ownership of three tubers of yam containing cocaine because he did not want to suffer abuse from security officials who arrested him.
He said he had no choice but to also admit that he used a bread knife in his house to cut open the yams and stuff them with cocaine because the security officials who arrested him had threatened to "use minimum force" if he did not explain why there was cocaine in his luggage.
"I was answering yes, yes to all their questions just to get away from them. I decided to tell them some story in order not to be beaten," Sima stated in an answer to why he admitted being the owner of the drugs on the day of his arrest.
According to him, he suffered brutalities in the hands of security officers at the Aflao border when he was 17 years and in the process he lost 40,000 CFA Francs and therefore, did not want to suffer a similar fate on the day he was arrested by officials of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB).
Sima, 39, was arrested on September 7, 2009 at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) after officials of NACOB found three tubers of yam containing cocaine in his baggage while going through departure formalities to embark on a trip to Germany.
He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of possessing narcotic drugs without lawful authority and attempting to export narcotic drugs without licence.
Sima has been refused bail by the court, presided over by Mr Justice Charles Quist, and is currently in prison custody.
Opening his defence in the case in which he is standing trial for allegedly possessing 4.9 kilogrammes of cocaine, Sima said he suffered a scar on his face during his first bitter encounter with security officials and did not want to suffer another fate especially now that he had to preserve his looks for his modelling profession.
Led by his lawyer, Mr James Agalga, in his evidence-in-chief, Sima said he was shocked to find that the tubers of yam he had bought from a vendor on the Graphic Road contained cocaine.
According to him, his cousin packed his luggage for him, adding that he had to tell security officials one Salifu gave him the cocaine to avoid being brutalised.
He further stated that one of the security officials, who were mostly armed, slapped his watchman for delaying in opening the gate to his (Sima's) house in Tema, adding that that incident scared him to the brink of admitting the narcotic drugs were his.
Sima stated that the security officials numbering more than six ransacked his house and in the process took away his laptop, wristwatches and perfumes. He said they also ate his bread.
According to him, the security officials took him to his office but they did not find anything incriminating.
Sima further told the court that the padlock on his bag had been tampered with, adding that the zip on his bag was broken.
He denied an assertion from the prosecution that he opened the bag to enable security officers to search it, explaining that the bag had already been opened before he was invited by the security officers to answer questions.
"I did not object to them touching the bag. The zip was opened which made it easy for anyone to go into the bag anytime. I have not touched the padlock until today," Sima told the packed courtroom.
According to him, between January and February, 2009 a security official demanded $2,000 from him at the airport for allegedly swallowing narcotic drugs.
Sima said he refused to pay the money because he had not swallowed drugs or had any drug in his luggage.
He also denied claims by the prosecution that he had admitted using a scraper to scoop the tubers of yam before stuffing them with cocaine. He explained that he used the scraper to flatten silicon to seal his leaked ceiling.
He also denied being a drug dealer and claimed innocence for all the charges levelled against him.
Sima, who has since finished with his evidence, said he could not have used a glue to seal the tubers of yam because the yams were wet.
Hearing continues on Monday, July 12, 2010.
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