Crime & Punishment of Friday, 20 December 2019

Source: ghananewsagency.org

Prosecution hands over monies of kidnapper to his lawyer

File photo File photo

The Prosecution in the alleged kidnapping of the two Canadian women has handed over GH¢650.00 to Sampson Aghalor one of the suspects standing trial’s lawyer in court.

Ms Hilda Craig, Senior State Attorney told the court that" we do not have any money for Jeff Omarsa, another suspect in the case.

She said per our records, no money was taken from Omarsa and that it was only his mobile phone that was taken away.

Per the orders of court which called for the appearance of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Baffour Appenteng, Ms Craig said the senior Police was out of the jurisdiction and could not attend court.

The Senior State Attorney said the state has made more disclosures and these documents have been filed in court.

According to her, they were expecting more from Canada and that those documents were crucial to the trial.

Mr Yaw Dankwah counsel for Aghalor contended that if ACP Appenteng was out of the jurisdiction, his superior could inform the court by writing and same extended to defence counsel.

Mr Dankwah said Omarsa had told the court that the investigator took the money from him.

"Now they are hiding behind the prosecution to squander the accused person’s money.

At the last sitting, there was confusion over monies belonging to Agalor and Omarsa.

Aghalor had told the court that he has GH¢850.00 cedis of which he been given GH¢200.00 whilst Omarsa also contended that he has GH¢800.00 and the Police investigator has given him GH¢200.00.

Aghalor, Omarsa are standing trial with Elvis Ojiyorwe a 27 year old businessman and Yusuf Yakubu for their involvement in the kidnapping of the two Canadians in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

The Canadians: Ms Lauren Tilley and Ms Bailey Chitty were in Ghana for voluntary work when they were kidnapped.

The accused persons have been charged with conspiracy to wit kidnapping and Kidnapping.

They have denied the offence and the court has remanded them into prison custody.

The two Canadians were kidnapped after they had left a restaurant to their apartment at Ridge in Kumasi.

They were allegedly kidnapped amidst shooting and eventually taken to an uncompleted building at Amoam- Achiase in the Kwabre District of the Ashanti Region.