Court adjourns trial of murder suspect Counsel concerned about security

By: Sebastian R. Freiku, Kumasi
A Kumasi Circuit Court Four presided over by Mr. Justice Emmanuel Lodo, last Friday adjourned to May 31, 2012, the case in which Prince Adu Boakye, 27, a trader, who allegedly murdered a 40-year-old businessman, Atta Obiri Yaw, in cold blood in a robbery case in August 2009, is being re-tried.

Before the adjournment, the defense counsel, Mr. Charles Agbenu, raised concerns regarding adequate security for the suspect, since his life was threatened.

But, Mr. Justice Lodo indicated that the security of the suspect, who is in prison custody, was the sole responsibility of officials of the Ghana Prisons Service and Police Command.

Prince Adu Baokye was to serve an 80 year imprisonment term, as pronounced by a Kumasi Circuit Court One, presided by Mr. Justice Emmanuel Amo-Yartey on March 15, 2010.

But the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Mrs. Gertrude G. Aikins, on September 11, 2011, at the instance Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, ordered a re-trial of the case, thus setting aside the March 15, 2010 sentence.

The accused is yet to open defence to the charges of murder and robbery.

Adu Boakye, the accused, who was a trader at the Central Market, is said to have murdered one Atta Obiri Yaw, a black market money dealer also at the Central market.

The court heard at a previous sitting that the accused, on August 3, 2009, reportedly outwitted the deceased and bolted with GH¢96,200 after killing him under strange circumstances.

He was, however, arrested on August 4, 2009, and admitted the offence upon investigation, hence his prosecution.

The prosecution told the court that when the accused led the police to the Flames Hotel, where he had abandoned the VW Golf saloon car in which he travelled with the deceased for a transaction, they found GH¢79,000, the pair of shoes belonging to the deceased, as well as seven live cartridges and a pump action gun.