Judgment For MV Benjamin Crew
By Daily Guide - Daily Guide General News | Tue, 08 Jul 2008
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 I DON T NEED ANY LIGHT WHILE STANDING IN THE SUNSHINE - By: OLD BOGISS-GERMANY  |
THE FATE of Joseph Kojo Dawson, the owner of MV Benjamin and the crew that allegedly ferried the 77 cocaine parcels into the country will today be determined by an Accra Fast Track High Court presided over by Justice Anin Yeboah.
The judgment, which would be the last in the series of judgments in relation to the MV Benjamin saga, would determine whether the crew that conveyed the cocaine which became a serious national issue really knew the contents of what they carried.
If found guilty, the vessel owner and crew members, Isaac Arhin, a sailor, Philip Bruce Arhin, an engineer, Cui Xian Li, an engineer and Liu Yin Zing, a cook, are likely to spend less than ten years in prison.
Should they be found by the trial Judge to have conveyed the parcels which were said to belong to fugitive Asem Dake, alias Sheriff, without prior knowledge that it was cocaine, they could be acquitted and discharged.
In the course of the trial which lasted for two years, the prosecuting State Attorneys, who invited eleven witnesses, had always maintained that the accused persons knew the contents of what they were hired to ferry but decided to go ahead because of the money involved.
One of the witnesses, a certain Kingsley Incoom, who was a crew member, alleged in his evidence that the sailor, Isaac Arhin, had an idea about the parcels since he counted each and every parcel and said they were seventy seven in number but did not explain further when he inquired about their contents.
The witness also said it was Arhin who painted the vessel MV Adade when they were getting close to the shores of Ghana, after he had refused to do the painting as Arhin instructed.
Arhin, on the other hand, told the court that as a sailor he did not have any prior knowledge of what they were to convey in Guinea, Conakry, except that they were told they were moving to Tema after the vessel which had a fault underwent repairs in Takoradi.
According to him, when he realised that they were heading westwards instead of eastwards and questioned the Captain, currently at large, he got angry and brought out a gun threatening to finish him if he did not keep his mouth shut; so he had no choice than to do just that for the safety of his life.
He said also that he thought the goods were fish as they were packaged as such.
Naval Commander Yakubu, in his evidence, said Arhin told him that their vessel was Adade Two and not the MV Benjamin being inquired about and that their vessel had been fishing around the area.
The boat owner, Dawson, who is on trial for using his property to indulge in narcotic related offences, explained that he had no idea what Sheriff, who chartered the vessel, was to use it for, except that he said he wanted to try it on a journey to see if it was sea-worthy before finally buying it.
Dawson said the charter agreement was signed in a hurry as the representative of the boat owners, Mr. Jill Bae, told him to sign the vessel away quickly because he wanted to visit his sick mother.
Lawyers who did the charter agreement for him and Sheriff have so far testified that indeed the vessel was chartered at the instance of Mr. Bae, who wanted to travel that very day.
Philip Bruce Arhin said he had no idea about the contents as he was always assisting in the engine room just like the Chinese national Cui Xian Li.
Liu Yin Xing also said he was always in the kitchen or in his cabin reading novels and was invited by Li to join the vessel as the vessel he was working in had developed a fault.
By Fidelia Achama
The judgment, which would be the last in the series of judgments in relation to the MV Benjamin saga, would determine whether the crew that conveyed the cocaine which became a serious national issue really knew the contents of what they carried.
If found guilty, the vessel owner and crew members, Isaac Arhin, a sailor, Philip Bruce Arhin, an engineer, Cui Xian Li, an engineer and Liu Yin Zing, a cook, are likely to spend less than ten years in prison.
Should they be found by the trial Judge to have conveyed the parcels which were said to belong to fugitive Asem Dake, alias Sheriff, without prior knowledge that it was cocaine, they could be acquitted and discharged.
In the course of the trial which lasted for two years, the prosecuting State Attorneys, who invited eleven witnesses, had always maintained that the accused persons knew the contents of what they were hired to ferry but decided to go ahead because of the money involved.
One of the witnesses, a certain Kingsley Incoom, who was a crew member, alleged in his evidence that the sailor, Isaac Arhin, had an idea about the parcels since he counted each and every parcel and said they were seventy seven in number but did not explain further when he inquired about their contents.
The witness also said it was Arhin who painted the vessel MV Adade when they were getting close to the shores of Ghana, after he had refused to do the painting as Arhin instructed.
Arhin, on the other hand, told the court that as a sailor he did not have any prior knowledge of what they were to convey in Guinea, Conakry, except that they were told they were moving to Tema after the vessel which had a fault underwent repairs in Takoradi.
According to him, when he realised that they were heading westwards instead of eastwards and questioned the Captain, currently at large, he got angry and brought out a gun threatening to finish him if he did not keep his mouth shut; so he had no choice than to do just that for the safety of his life.
He said also that he thought the goods were fish as they were packaged as such.
Naval Commander Yakubu, in his evidence, said Arhin told him that their vessel was Adade Two and not the MV Benjamin being inquired about and that their vessel had been fishing around the area.
The boat owner, Dawson, who is on trial for using his property to indulge in narcotic related offences, explained that he had no idea what Sheriff, who chartered the vessel, was to use it for, except that he said he wanted to try it on a journey to see if it was sea-worthy before finally buying it.
Dawson said the charter agreement was signed in a hurry as the representative of the boat owners, Mr. Jill Bae, told him to sign the vessel away quickly because he wanted to visit his sick mother.
Lawyers who did the charter agreement for him and Sheriff have so far testified that indeed the vessel was chartered at the instance of Mr. Bae, who wanted to travel that very day.
Philip Bruce Arhin said he had no idea about the contents as he was always assisting in the engine room just like the Chinese national Cui Xian Li.
Liu Yin Xing also said he was always in the kitchen or in his cabin reading novels and was invited by Li to join the vessel as the vessel he was working in had developed a fault.
By Fidelia Achama
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GOODS MUST BE INTENSIVELY CONTROLLED B'FORE ON BOARD
QUAMIHO SREBOVI | -GHANA | 7/8/2008 12:07:00 PM
GOODS GOING ON BOARD OF ANY VESSEL/SHIP MUST UNDERGO AN INTENSIVE CHECK UP WITH A SPECIAL X-RAY ELECTRONIC MASCHINE, SO THEY WERE CERTAINLY AWARE OF THE COCAINE ON BOARD.ATTEMPTING TO SMUGGLING AND SMUGGLING, 35 YEARS EACH IN PRISON WITH A VERY HARD LABOUR.
