CJ institutes enquiry into cocaine saga

The Chief Justice (CJ) Georgina Woode has set up a committee of enquiry to probe how cocaine kept in the exhibit room at a registrar's office of a circuit court turned into sodium bicarbonate.

The cocaine exhibit tendered in evidence to the court got swapped with washing soda leading to the discharge of the accused person Nana Ama Martin, who had been standing trial since 2008 for possessing narcotics.

The police and the court are in a blame game leading to a petition to the Chief Justice, Georgina Wood, to also look into her stable for possible culprits.

Speaking on Asempa fm's Ekosii-sen on Wednesday, Judicial Secretary, Justice Alex Opoku-Acheampong noted that in order to unravel the circumstances surrounding the swapped cocaine, a committee of enquiry has been set up.

He stressed the committee will commence its work from Thursday, December 15, 2011, explaining, “[This] is because the matter has come under serious public scrutiny”.

The committee will be chaired by appeals court judge, Justice Agnes Dodzi, high court judge-Abdulai Iddrisu, the chief judicial registrar and other high powered members. “The committee will sit tomorrow at the supreme court premises and it is open to the public because it has generated public interest”. It has seven days to complete its findings.

He asserted the public are invited because the Chief Justice wants to get to the bottom of this matter.

He dismissed suggestions that the Chief Justice should resign over the matter opining that it is completely unnecessary. “The normal thing we can do is to allow the trial judge of that particular case to step aside but for the CJ it is not allowed”

Story by Twum-Barima/Asempa news/Ghana