General News of Saturday, 20 May 2017

Source: mynewsgh.com

Delta Force 8: Government pressured Attorney General to free them - NDC

Deputy General Secretary of the  National Democratic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho

The Principal State Attorney Marie Louise-Simmons handling the case involving the discharge of eight members of Delta Force, took the decision to withdraw the charges due to pressure from government, Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho has revealed.

According to him, the party’s sources in the judiciary picked information suggesting the Attorney General, Gloria Akuffo personally instructed the state prosecutor in the Kumasi to drop the charges.

“Our ears are on ground and do not forget we just left office. We worked with the police and State Attorneys and you can trust our sources there”.

“What we are hearing is that the pressure came from Gloria Akuffo that the boys be freed because they belong the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP)”, he alleged.

“Do not also forget that the NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central Kennedy Agyapong and the NPP Ashanti Chairman are financiers of their activities”

“The state prosecutor has started talking and revealing the secret to his close friends and relatives that he filed Nolle prosequi to withdraw the charges upon pressure”, he added.

Speaking on a local radio station in Kumasi, the outspoken politician took swipe at the Ghana Bar Association for being mute for a while over issues that required their responses

Eight (8) members of the Pro-NPP group who were standing trial for abetting the escape of 13 of their colleagues at a Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) Circuit court were arraigned before the court on various charges.

When the case was however called on Wednesday May 17, 2017 the Principal State Attorney Marie Louise-Simmons said she was under instructions from the Attorney General, Gloria Akuffo, to discontinue the case.

Members of the majority, who are not enthused about the development, want immediate steps taken to have the freed suspects rearrested.