DSP Tehoda granted bail

DSP Gifty Mawuenyega Tehoda

A Human Rights Court in Accra on Tuesday granted the top police woman standing trial for her role in the cocaine-turned-baking soda saga, bail.

A Court had on Monday, at a bail hearing, ordered the BNI to produce DSP Gifty Mawunyega Tehoda who was being held by the investigative.

But the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) failed to produce her as directed by the Human Rights Court yesterday.

That notwithstanding, the court granted her bail to the tune of GH¢100,000.

Her lawyer, E.A Voduah referred to Section 52(a) of Act 236 of 1990 to back his claims that the prosecution is 'forcing' to bring baseless charges into the charge sheet and asked the court to grant her bail.

The trial judge Kwesi Essel-Mensah upheld his submission, maintaining that the charge preferred against DSP Tehoda has no basis in law, adding that the charge was alien to the laws in Ghana.

He averred that the suspects could therefore not be held for 'abetment of crime and stealing of cocaine', Joy News' Sammy Darko reported.

Meanwhile Mr E.A. Vodua told Sammy Darko they are not perturbed by what the prosecution claimed is revealing evidence against their client.

He said, 'these are mere allegations' that have not been subjected to any test of law, and for that reason 'we are not worried at all'.

He said the prosecution 'knows what to do' and not just leveling allegations. He has therefore challenged the prosecution to produce the so-called revealing evidence in court.

DSP Tehoda was re-arrested by the BNI a day after she was granted bail about a fortnight ago, and the lawyer feared the tendency of the investigative body to abuse its power again is possible.

'It is not a matter of how many times the BNI can re-arrest or not, but it is a matter of whether or not throughout their interrogations and gathering their evidence, facts and all that, they have been able to have sufficient facts that would support any narcotics offence or any criminal offence at all. That is the issue.'

State Attorney Rexford Wiredu had earlier told the court there is evidence that the husband of DSP Tehoda and her Uncle are interfering in police investigations.

He said the two have called a sibling of Nana Ama Martin, the key suspect in the cocaine saga, not to cooperate with the police.

He said Mr Tehoda has also been calling the wife, whilst in BNI custody, not to cooperate with the police because they are doing all that they could to get her released.

Mr Rexford Wiredu prayed the court not to grant her bail because it would seriously affect their investigations.

He said Nana Ama Martins is suspected to be hiding somewhere between Ghana and Ivory Coast trying to escape to from justice. He promised that everything would be done to arrest her.

Source: Myjoyonline