Prosecutors in the trial of the six persons arrested in connection with the exportation of 12.5kg of cocaine to the United Kingdom by convicted Nayele Ametefeh aka Ruby Adu-Gyamfi say the state cannot be pressured to conclude investigations into the matter.
According to Penelope Ann Mammatta,, a chief State Attorney, investigations were still ongoing into the case, but defence counsel say it's all delay tactics and that there is nothing against their clients.
Ann Mammatta said the case before the court is a serious one that requires thorough investigation.
The A-G had in all the three cases before the court requested for another one month to continue with investigations.
This follows a protest by Frank Davies, counsel for Abiel Ashitey Armah, one of the foreign ministry staff attached to the VVIP lounge at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), that the claim that investigation is still ongoing is unfortunate.
He said if the prosecution had not finished its investigation the defence counsel should be given some indication, stressing that the court should not be an avenue for such things.
'Strike Out Case'
The trial judge, Francis Obiri, said he might be forced to strike out the case if the prosecution continued along that trajectory.
The suspects, Abiel Ashitey Armah, Foreign Service Officer in-charge of the VVIP Lounge at KIA, Ahmed Abubakar, Protocol Officer and Theophilius Kissi, a civil servant, have all been charged for allegedly aiding Ruby Adu-Gyamfi to smuggle 12.5kg of cocaine valued at over $3 million to the UK.
Ruby has been convicted by a London court and is serving eight years and eight months' jail term.
Also in the dock are Sadala Nuhu and Nana Akua Amponsah, both businesswomen who the prosecution says had travelled with Ruby but managed to escape from London back to Accra the same day Ruby was busted at the Heathrow Airport. They are facing a charge of conspiracy.
Alhaji Dawood Mohammed, a businessman who was said to have facilitated the use of the VVIP wing by the three ladies, is also facing abetment charge.
Per the prosecution's own facts, Sadala and Akua Amponsah, said to be accomplices of Ruby Adu-Gyamfi, have been charged for aiding and abetting the drug baroness who used the highly restricted VVIP section of the Kotoka International Airport to board the BA078 flight to London.
Ruby Adu-Gyamfi is currently incarcerated in Her Majesty's Bronzefield prison in the UK after pleading guilty on the first day of court proceedings at the Isleworth Crown Court and subsequently convicted by the court.
The accused persons have variously pleaded not guilty and are currently on bail.
All the six suspects have been granted bail in the sum of GH¢100,000 each with three sureties, one to be justified.
Also, they are each expected to provide one public servant earning not less than GH¢1,000 a month.
As part of the bail conditions, the accused persons are to report to the investigator handling the case once a month between the hours of 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm.
The case has been adjourned to February 24, 2015.
Alhaji Dawood pleaded with the court to allow him to go on a business trip and his request was granted on condition that he would make himself available on the next adjourned date.
In a follow-up interview with Frank Davies, he said he was unhappy with the prosecution's delay tactics as far as the conduct of the investigations was concerned.
His comments followed another adjournment of the case to February 24, 2015 after the state prosecutor had asked for time to enable them complete their investigations.
According to Mr Davies, the lady at the centre of the cocaine case had been convicted after her admission and never mentioned his client as an accomplice, wondering why the prosecution was still holding up the case.
Adjournments
The case involving the alleged accomplices has suffered a number of adjournments.
An Accra circuit court, presided over by Francis Obiri, adjourned a bail application on the case from Monday, December 8, 2014 to Friday, December 12, 2014.
It again adjourned the bail application from December 12, 2014 to December 22, 2014.
Aside the adjournments for a bail application, the case itself had severally been adjourned.
An Accra circuit court, for instance, adjourned it from January 7, 2015 to January 21, 2015.
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Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson
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