Attorney General’s office to study Tagor’s case
Accra July 30, Ghanadot/GNA
- The Attorney General’s (A-G’s) Office is considering the
next step to take, following the acquittal and discharge of
Kwabena Amaning a.k.a. Tagor and Alhaji Issa Abass’s in the
MV Benjamin cocaine case.
A cursory look at the basis for the acquittal and discharge
of the two indicate that it is imperative to critically
assess the entire process that led to their prosecution and
subsequent conviction, a statement from the A-G’s Office
said in Accra on Thursday.
The statement signed by Mrs. Betty Mould Iddrisu, Attorney
General and Minister of Justice said the attention of the
A-G’s had been drawn to the huge public debate provoked by
the acquittal and discharge of Amaning and Abass by the
Appeal Court, following their conviction in 2007 for
narcotic offences.
She said the Appeal Court judgment mentioned possible
violations of the individual liberties of the two as the
basis for the acquittal, stating that the trial was flawed
in as much as the tape recording, which was the
prosecution's major piece of evidence, which did not
directly implicate or incriminate Amaning and Abass.
According to the statement, the Appeals Court also raised
questions about the quality of the investigations into the
MV Benjamin saga and the loss of 77 parcels of cocaine as
well as investigations that followed the appearance of the
tape recording at the home of ACP Kofi Boakye. The Attorney
General's Office will consider these issues as it seeks to
bring an objective conclusion to this matter.
”We respect the judgment of Ghanaian courts and especially
appreciate the detailed arguments contained in the Appeals
Court judgment. We shall study these in depth since it will
form the basis of our decision on whether to appeal the
ruling or not,” the statement said.
The statement said: “It is the government’s primary aim to
ensure that every citizen of Ghana is given a fair hearing
in matters of criminal prosecution and this office will
strive to maintain due process.
It is important to note that the narcotics trade is of
particular concern to Ghanaians. Government therefore has
the primary responsibility to ensure that due process and
the most stringent means are employed in investigation and
prosecution of all suspects.
“Criminal elements, particularly self-confessed drug barons
should not be allowed to walk the streets freely. Should
this happen, it will send the wrong message particularly to
the youth who were their unwitting targets.”
“The Attorney General is determined to ensure that Ghana
complies with best practice in terms of investigation and
prosecution of cases involving narcotics,” it added.
“We will consider critically the issue of wealth acquisition
vis-à-vis the payment of taxes as deterrent to those hiding
behind the cloak of business to flaunt their ill-gotten
wealth. Ghana lives among the comity of nations and we
cannot allow this country to deteriorate into a haven for
criminals which might ward off potential investors.”
GNA
