'I Saw Ex-MP In Boxer Short'

The second prosecution witness (PW2) in the case of three people standing trial for allegedly conspiring to rob J.B. Danquah Adu, ex-MP for Abuakwa North and former Deputy Minister of Women and Children's Affairs, yesterday told an Accra Fast Track High Court that he saw the former legislator in a pair of boxer shorts with blood oozing from his hand.

The witness, Edwin Agyei Boateng, told the court presided over by Justice Mustapha Habib Logoh: 'At the entrance of the stairs, I saw Mr. J.B descending with blood oozing from his hand.

He had been stripped and was wearing only boxer shorts and he asked us to arrest the two boys who just passed by.'

Narteley Nettey Yirenkyiwaa aka Awura Ama, 24, the ex-Minister's estranged girlfriend, is standing trial together with Charles Antwi and Nana Yaw Ampaw for allegedly conspiring to rob J.B at the East Legon apartment of the lady on August 26, 2010.

The three have pleaded not guilty to three counts of conspiracy, causing harm and robbery and are still in police custody.

Led in evidence by Paul Asibi Abariga, a State Attorney, Edwin Agyei Boateng, who is a security man at Yirenkyiwaa's apartment around American House in East Legon, Accra, said when he got to work on August 26, 2010, Yirenkyiwaa told him to leave one door unlocked because she was expecting a visitor.

He said he then went to get mosquito coil and when he returned, J.B's car had been parked inside the house and he had gone upstairs and sat with Yirenkyiwaa in the porch.

'I then sat at my usual position and about 15 minutes later, heard someone shouting… 'They are killing me!' 'They are killing me!''

He said he climbed upstairs and on his way, saw the caretaker of the apartments who had also heard the shouting and was also moving to the scene.

He claimed when he got to the porch of Yirenkyiwaa, he saw someone forcing his hand through the window and the hand had blood.

'We banged at the door and when it was opened, A3 (Ampaw) with blood stains on his body, rushed out of the room and descended the staircase and jumped the fence wall.'

He said before Ampaw went downstairs, they asked him to accompany them into the room but he refused and only said people were fighting inside but the shouting for help intensified.

Boateng said A2 (Antwi) also followed and he (witness) attempted to hold him but he shrugged him off and descended the staircase, even though they were able to arrest him.

He said after overpowering Antwi, he saw J.B descending the staircase and wearing only boxer shorts and the ex-minister told him that the accused persons had removed his trousers, saying, 'Yirenkyiwaa followed not long and asked us to leave Antwi and rather arrest J.B but we said all of them should be sent to the police station.'

In the ensuing confrontation, people in the area thronged the place and a man used his shirt to tie J.B's wound: 'Antwi tried to ask Yirenkyiwaa to say the truth to set him free but Yirenkyiwaa shouted him down and said she would handle it.'

He said a police patrol team came around and took J.B to the hospital and the accused into custody.

During cross-examination by Kwabena Addo Attuah, Edwin Boateng insisted that whatever he had told the court was the truth and that on the day of the incident, he never entered Yirenkyiwaa's room and could not have seen what actually happened.

Counsel: Whatever was happening at that material time between JB and the accused persons would not be privy to you.

Witness: That is so.
Counsel: You have come here to fabricate stories about the accused persons.

Witness: It is not correct.
When he took his turn, C.K Mintah, counsel for Antwi and Ampong, Edwin Boateng told the court that at the moment, Antwi and Ampaw came out of Yirenkyiwaa's room, he did not know whether the two men were perpetrators or victims.

Earlier, JB had concluded his cross-examination by Mr. Mintah, in which he (J.B) said he was not exaggerating the injury he suffered and added that he feared for his life during the incident.

He also insisted that robbery was perpetrated on him. Sitting continues on December 15, 2010.

By William Yaw Owusu