Amoateng's lawyer to file submission of no case against state

02.04.2015 LISTEN

The Lawyer for ex-convict and former Nkoranza North MP, Eric Amoateng, says he is likely to file a submission of no case to end the 8-month trial of his client when the state closes its case.

Charles Puozing believes the state has failed to establish the guilt of his client, insisting all the witnesses provided by the state so far have not been able to prove any crime against the former legislator.

Mr. Amoateng is facing charges of possessing forged documents.

He was arrested by security officials at the Kotoka International Airport on his return from the United States where he served a 10-year jail term.

The former Nkoranza North MP was detained for a decade in the U.S. for possessing narcotics.

State prosecutors say the passport used by the former MP to return to his home country was fake.

However, during all the 8 months that the state has been pursuing the case against Mr Amoateng, prosecutors have rarely showed up in court.

For three months, neither the prosecutor nor the investigator showed up in court any time the case was called, a situation that has angered both the presiding Judge and Mr Amoateng's lawyer.

Joy News' Felix Akoyam reported Wednesday April 1, 2015 that when the prosecutor finally appeared in court the judge chastised him for failing to provide medical evidence to support a claim that his absence from court was due to ill health.

Although the case continues on Thursday, the lawyer for the MP is confident the prosecution's attempt to prove his client is guilty of the charge of possessing fake documents is a lost cause.

"He himself [Prosecutor] admitted [in court] that looking at the passport, no human being would know that [the passport] is forged except through forensic analysis", he said.

Mr Puozing maintains after such an admission by the prosecutor, it is unlikely for the state to prove that his client knew that the passport he was travelling to Ghana with was forged.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | George Nyavor | [email protected]