...Victor Smith's case docket is intact..

The docket on Victor Emmanuel Smith, an aide to former President Jerry John Rawlings was intact in the vault of circuit tribunal registry, Mr Kwame Ntow-Fianko, Deputy Chief Registrar of Circuit Tribunal said on Tuesday.

Reacting to two publications in "The Accra Daily Mail" and "The Daily Guide," Mr Ntow-Fianko said the docket was not missing adding the two publications were "being dramatic and there were no elements of truth in them."

Smith is standing trial at an Accra Circuit Tribunal for allegedly threatening two journalists, Mr Kweku Baako Junior, Editor of the Crusading Guide and Mrs Amoakohene, Social Commentator and Lecturer at the School of Communication Studies, University of Ghana, Legon with death. Smith charged with threat of death has pleaded not guilty and is on 50 million cedis bail.

Mr Ntow-Fianko explained that the docket was among the others that he had worked on adding that he was not around when the court clerk came for the rest of the dockets for him to add Smith' s docket to them. "I reported a few minutes after 9am on Monday by which time the case had been called but I gave the docket to one of the court clerks to be sent to court."

There was no special reason for hiding Smith's docket, he said. Mr Ntow-Fianko said, "No reporter came to ask whether the docket was missing or not".

Sources close to the court told the Ghana News Agency that Smith's case was first to be called and his docket was not among the first ones brought from the registry and that since the registrar was not around to answer, both defence counsel and the prosecution agreed to continue with Mr Kweku Baako's cross examination by defence counsel on 19 July.

The tribunal was told that on 18 March, the accused and Mr Abrampah Mensah, Interim President of the Action Forum, which is affiliated to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), wrote a correspondence to be handed over to Mr Baako and Mrs Amoakohene, that they would not sit down unconcerned over their criticisms of the former President.

The Prosecution said the accused also warned that if the two did not stop their criticisms after receiving the letters, members of the Action Forum would be given pick-up vehicles to track and crash them. The accused also said should these steps to silence the two fail, they would devise other means to kill them.

Mr Mensah, who is a witness in the case, was alarmed and revealed the plot to a friend and handed over the letter to him. This friend in turn gave it to Mr Baako Junior, who informed Mrs Amoakohene. Smith admitted being the author of the threatening letter on his arrest, the Police said.