Accra, Nov. 2, GNA - An Accra Regional Tribunal chaired by Mr Justice Frank Manu on Thursday remanded into prison custody three suspects in connection with the 76 missing parcels of cocaine from MV Benjamin.
The tribunal refused to take the pleas of Joseph Kojo Dawson, a businessman, Freeman Sosi, a fisherman and canoe owner and Evans Charwetey Tsekobi, an auto mechanic.
They were charged with various counts of conspiracy to commit crime and abetment of crime contrary to Sections 556 and 10 of the Narcotic Drugs (Control, Enforcement and Sanctions) Law 1990, PNDC L236. The facts of the case were not read. They will reappear on November 17.
Two other accomplices, Sheriff Asem Darkei, alias The Limping man, now at large and Alhaji Moro Mohammed, a businessman, who has been admitted to the Police Hospital under guard, were not in court. Mrs Gertrude Aikins, Chief State Attorney, prayed the tribunal to remand the accused persons in custody because investigations were not completed.
She stated: "This morning I changed the charge sheet, because other developments came up."
Mrs. Aikins contended that the prosecution had done a good job so far, saying: "Our country is in danger and we all have to contribute our quota to save the situation."
Attorneys for Dawson, Sosi and Tsekobi asked the tribunal to set specific orders to determine when the facts of the case should be read. They said if the judge was gracious enough to look at the facts of the case, it would realise that the re-arraignment before the tribunal was completely bogus.
They explained that, in one breath the State proposed to charge the
accused persons with dealing in narcotic drugs, but this was cancelled and replaced with conspiracy to commit crime.
They averred that their defence in the case was being thwarted by the prosecution and pleaded with the court to give their clients bail even it would be with stiff conditions.
The Attorneys argued that the third accused person, Sosi, was an illiterate fisherman who had three canoes called Milo - 1, 2 and 3. In the course of his work, he was hired to transport goods for someone he would not be in a position to know, likewise the content of the goods.
They argued further that it was such an innocent person who had been charged with conspiracy and dealing in narcotic drugs, which could not be proved before the Tribunal.
The lawyers said the arrest of Tsekobi, a brother of Darkei, who is at large, was just a cover up and inefficiency of the Police. They added Tsekobi was a mechanic who returned from Togo to find that his room had been ransacked.
He went to the Police to make a report that thieves had broken into his room, only to be arrested.