The Third prosecution witness in the case in which Mr Gregory Afoko, who has been accused of the murder of the former Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Adams Mahama, has said before his death Mahama mentioned Afoko’s name.

Mr Asigri Quinn, a neighbour of the then chairman who drove him to the hospital when the incident happened, said Mahama was chanting Qur’an verses when he was driving him to the hospital.

He added that on admission at the emergency ward at the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital, Mahama mentioned names.

The witness made this known to the Criminal Division of the Accra High Court presided over by Justice L.L. Mensah when he was being cross-examined by Lawyer Yaw Osafo Buabeng yesterday.

When he was told that the keys given to him by Mahama were for the purposes of driving his car and sending him to the hospital, the witness responded in the affirmative.

He also told the court that Mahama’s vehicle engine was not running, which is contrary to the counsel’s suggestion that it was running.

He said he did not return the car key to Mahama before his death.

He also told the court that he was not actually present when Mahama was admitted because when they got to the hospital, he (witness) was asked to park the car well and so did not follow the others immediately to the ward.

Who heard the names?

The witness told the court that upon his arrival at the ward he observed that Mr Mahama was wet so he asked Zuweira and she told her that it was the nurses who poured drip water on him upon doctor’s advice.

He said together with the doctors and nurses there were five others, Toffik, Zuweira, himself, wife of Mahama and Mariama, who were all by the bedside of Mahama.

When it was suggested to him that access to the emergency ward at Bolga Hospital in such emergency situation is restricted, he disagreed. When it was again suggested to him that none of the [people whose] names he mentioned was allowed to stand by Mahama at the emergency ward, he again disagreed, saying “we were allowed.”

The case has been adjourned to July 18 for the continuation of his cross-examination.

Examination-in-chief

Prior to ending his examination-in-chief, he told the court that at the hospital, he tried calling one Toffik but the call was not going through.

According to the witness, when Toffik arrived, Mahama told him and his wife that he knew he would die, and that if he died, it was Gregory and one Asabke who had done that to him. And that if he (Mahama) died, his wife should send him to his village to bury him there.

Background

Mr Afoko, a farmer, is alleged to have killed Mr Mahama. He is being held on charges of conspiracy to commit crime, to wit, conspiracy to commit murder and murder. However, he has pleaded not guilty before the Court, which also has a seven-member jury.

A third accomplice, Musa Issa, was granted bail after the Attorney-General stated that there was not enough evidence to prosecute him.