An Accra high court yesterday adjourned to February 19, the case, in which two National Democratic Congress (NDC) executives are standing trial for allegedly inciting party members to attack the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission and Chairman of the National Peace Council.
The accused, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, the Chairman of the NDC, and Mr Kweku Boahen, a Deputy Communications Officer of the party, were said to have been secretly recorded on their plot of attack, on the targeted persons, in an audio, which has since gone viral.
The audio recording was expected to be played in court yesterday, but the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Mrs Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, told the high court presided by Justice Samuel Asiedu that she had received a letter from Mr Tony Lithur, counsel for Mr Boahen, that he could not make it to court, because he had a case at the Supreme Court.
On February 5, Mr Lithur told the high court that he has filed an appeal to challenge a ruling of the high court to adopt the witness statement of Benjamin Ampofo Adjei on January 29,2020, and asked the court to adjourn the case to abide by the outcome of the process he filed in court.
The accused had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit crime and harm on public officers and are currently on GH¢100,000 bail each, with a surety.
The trial of the duo was set to begin on July 8, 2019. However, Mr Asiamah Sampong, a senior state attorney, then prosecuting, told the court that the witness was indisposed.
The facts are that the accused were arraigned on April 16 for allegedly inciting communicators of the party to attack the chairperson of the Electoral Commission, and the chairman of the National Peace Council.
Mr Tony Lithur, counsel for Mr Ampofo, told the court that his client could not speak about the alleged leaked tape because it was doctored.
He said the invasion of his client’s privacy relates to the constitutional breach of Mr Ampofo’s rights.
Dr Bamba said his client denied the charges filed against him, and added that Mr Boahen was innocent until proven guilty by the court.
He contended that the charges against the Deputy Communications Officer of the NDC were not grounded in the law.
Miss Gloria Akuffo, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, who read the charges against the accused in April 2019, said Mr Boahen faces only a charge of conspiracy to cause harm, while his colleague was charged with all the three counts.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
