Two senior police and military officers and eight others charged with conspiracy to commit high treason, treason and abetment of crime have been granted a total of GH¢18 million bail with sureties by the Accra High Court last Saturday.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Benjamin Kwasi Agordzo and Colonel Samuel Kodzo Gameli have been granted GH¢1million each with two sureties, one to be justified, while the eight others were admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢2million each.
They had all been ordered by a three-member panel of judges presided over by Justice Efia Serwaa Asare Botwe to report to the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) on Mondays and Thursdays.
This was after the office of the Attorney-General filed a nolle prosequi to discontinue the previous charges of treason against the accused.
The eight others, Dr Frederick Yao Mac Palm, Donya Kafui, Bright Allan Debrah aka Bright Allan Yeboah, Yohannes Zikpi, WO II Esther Saan, Corporal Seidu Abubakar, LAC Ali Solomon and Col Sylvester Akanpewon had pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit high treason and high treason.
Col Kodzo Gameli and ACP Agordzor who were charged with abetment of high treason also pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Appearing before the three-member panel of judges, Godfred Yeboah Dame, the Attorney-General, prosecuting, told the court that Dr Mac-Palm, the first accused was the Chief Executive of Citadel Hospital, located at Alajo, Accra.
He said Kafui was a blacksmith, while Debrah was a freight forwarder in Accra.
The Attorney-General told the court that Zikpi was a civilian employee at the Ghana Armed Forces.
The court heard that Gameli was a senior military officer while Dekuwine, Abubakar, Solomon and Akanpewon were soldiers with the Ghana Armed Forces.
Mr Dame said that ACP Agodzor was a senior police officer with the Ghana Police Service.
According to the prosecutor, in June 2018, the security agencies picked information regarding the activities of some group of persons planning to overthrow the constitutionally elected government of the Republic of Ghana.
He said intelligence revealed that Debrah was holding meetings with Dekuwine, Abubakar, Solomon and Akanpewon in furtherance of the plot to overthrow the government.
The prosecutor stated that at these meetings, several issues were discussed including the recruitment of more soldiers, acquisition of weapons and bullet proof gears, development of sketch maps of key installations and facilities of state to be attacked during the takeover.
The Attorney-General told the court that the accused also discussed the procurement of electronic jamming devices and vehicles that would enable them takeover the National Communications Authority (NCA) and jam all radio stations except the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).
BACKGROUND
Mr Dame told the court that Dr Mac-Palm and his colleagues belonged to an association called Take Action Ghana (TAG) and had planned to stage demonstrations, ostensibly to topple the government.
He said in July 2019, accused contacted a blacksmith from Alavanyo, in the Volta Region, to manufacture 22 explosives, six ammunitions and five pistols.
The court heard that the manufacturer charged alleged accomplices GH¢2,300 as the cost of each pistol and GH¢400.00 for each explosive.
He said on September 19, Dr Mac-Palm and Kafui were arrested after test firing at Teshie Military shooting range.
The court heard that a search conducted in the premises of the Citadel Hospital revealed six unregistered pistol, one registered pistol, 22 explosives, three grenades, 63 rounds of ammunition, two empty AK47 magazines and other machines used in manufacturing weapons.
The case has been adjourned to May 25.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
