One person discharged in subversion case

Accra, June 20 GNA - One out of the three persons arrested with firearms and ammunition in Accra was on Monday discharged by an Accra Circuit Court.

This was after the Prosecution had told the Court that after extensive Police investigations, Seth Kumako, who is self-employed, should be discharged.

Kumako had been standing trial with two other accused persons - Mohammed Abdullai Umar Atakora, a Telephone Bill Distributor and Ernest Adorsoo, a Student - on charges of conspiracy and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.

They had pleaded not guilty.

Two members of the group Maxwell Kudjoe Ketsi, a Welder and Agaga Ekwiey are at large.

The Prosecutor, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Patrick Adusei Sarpong further prayed the Court to remand the two accused persons because the Police had to further investigate some names mentioned. The Court presided over by Mr Kwabena O. Beecham remanded them into Police custody to reappear on July 5.

CSP Sarpong said on June 2, 2005, a combined team of the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) acting on a tip-off mounted an operation to round up members of the alleged group, who were preparing to procure arms.

He said during the exercise, three suspects were arrested in a Ford Mondeo saloon car with registration number GR 9908 T at Asylum Down in Accra while two of them managed to escape.

He said when the vehicle was searched 36 pieces of AK-47 assault rifles, 10 pieces of pistols, three boxes of ammunition and 74 packets of pistols ammunition were found.

The rest were one box of hand grenade, an amount of 25 million cedis and two bags of rice.

Meanwhile the same Court has also remanded three more persons allegedly linked in the first case.

Ransford Dotse, an Artist, Togbe Asimanu, a Clearing Agent and Alhaji Mustapha, a Businessman and a Butcher are facing charges of conspiracy and abetment of crime.

They are also expected to reappear on July 5.