Power outage forces adjournment of cocaine trail

The Accra Fast Track High Court trying the cocaine case involving Kwabena Amaning alias Tagor and Alhaji Issah Abass on Wednesday adjourned proceedings to May 3, 2007, due to power outage at the court.

The court, presided over by Mr Justice Jones Dotse, a Court of Appeal judge with additional responsibility as a High Court judge, adjourned the case soon after calling it.

He said due to the load shedding and bearing in mind that the Judicial Service did not have a generator for the case to continue, the case was adjourned to May 3, 2007.

Counsel for Alhaji Abass, Mr Osafo Buabeng, was to cross-examine Detective Inspector Charles Adaba, the police investigator, in the cocaine case.

Tagor is facing four counts of conspiracy, engaging in prohibited business related to narcotic drugs, buying of narcotic drugs and supplying narcotic drugs, while Alhaji Abass faces two counts of conspiracy and supply of narcotic drugs.

They have pleaded not guilty to all the counts and have been refused bail.

The police investigator had earlier denied that in his evidence-in-chief, he had stated that Chris Kumi Asher, who was mentioned in the conversation which took place in ACP Kofi Boakye's house, had told him that Tagor's driver had bought a house from him (Asher).

According to him, Asher said that he sold a house to Nana Kofi, whom his investigations revealed was Tagor's driver.

When counsel asked whether the purchase was covered by a written document, the witness replied that Asher promised to give him the documents but he had since failed to do so.

Inspector Adaba disagreed with counsel that the purchaser of the house was not Tagor's driver and added that the police were still searching for him because he abandoned the house, which was located at East Legon in Accra.

The witness said he did not know the person who recorded the conversation which took place in ACP Boakye's house on May 15, 2006 and that he received a copy from the Attorney-General's Department.

He said he did not play the recorded conversation to offer Tagor the opportunity to either accept or deny that his voice was on the tape.

He also agreed with counsel that portions of the tape containing the recorded conversation were inaudible, while the secret voice recording of Tagor contained about four different voices.

Source: Daily Graphic