The Accra High Court yesterday ordered the Director of Legal Aid to provide a lawyer for Allan Debrah, one of the 10 accused standing trial for treason.
A three-member panel of judges presided over by Justice Afia Serwaa Asare Botwe gave the order after accused told the court he was unable to hire a lawyer because he could not afford the fees.
The case has been adjourned to March 13, to enable the lawyer for Debrah to study the documents and conduct cross-examination.
Ten accused, including senior police and military officers had been charged with conspiracy to commit treason, high treason and abetment.
ACP Dr Benjamin Agordzo and Col. Kojo Gamelie have been charged with abetment.
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, are facing charges of conspiracy to commit treason and high treason.
All the accused have pleaded not guilty and have been granted bail.
It is the case of the prosecution that accused used Take Action Ghana (TAG) as a platform to mobilise in order to destabilise the country and overthrow the government.
The prosecution said as part of the plot, Dr Mac-Palm, who is accused of being the mastermind, along with Kafui and Debrah, had planned to kidnap the President, the Vice-President, the Speaker of Parliament and the Chief of the Defence Staff and force the President to announce his overthrow.
“Again, there were discussions on whether or not to kill the President in the process of overthrowing the government,” the prosecution said.
Concerning ACP Agordzo, it said he joined a WhatsApp platform of TAG created by Dr Mac- Palm, where the group discussed a planned demonstration, which was likened to the Arab Spring.
He said ACP Agordzo donated GH¢2,000 to TAG to aid its cause and also drafted a speech for Dr Mac-Palm to be read at the planned demonstration by TAG.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
