The Recent Invitation Of Samuel Ofosu Ampofo By The CID

There is a popular adage that, "when a witch/wizard cries in the night and a child dies the next morning, there is no need to consult a soothsayer to know what might have killed the child". This popular adage has been with us for some time now. It has never been challenged neither has it been disputed. Part of this nonetheless has been codified in our criminal jurisprudence as circumstantial.

Lord Hewart C.J. as he then was in R. v. Taylor (1928) 21 CR. App. R. 20 at p. 21, C.C. as applied in The Republic v. Affail (1975) 2 GLR 69 said: “It has been said that the evidence against the defendant is circumstantial, so it is but circumstantial evidence is very often the best. It is evidence of surrounding circumstances which by undersigned coincidence is capable of proving a proposition with the accuracy of mathematics. it is no derogation of evidence to say that it is circumstantial.

Again, In the case of State v. Anane Fiadzo [1961] GLR 416 at 417, Sarkodie-Adoo, JSC as he then was when delivering the judgment of the Supreme Court said:" Presumptive or circumstantial evidence is quite usual,

And inferences from the facts proved may prove the guilt of a defendant.

Yesterday, the criminal investigation department extended another diplomatic invitation to the chairman of the National Democratic Congress in respect of "investigations into cases" of kidnapping and fire outbreaks in various parts of the country. According to the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana police service,intelligence gathered indicates that,some of these kidnappings and fire outbreaks are being orchestrated by various unidentified groups,persons and individuals so to speak. Some of the persons picked up for interrogation and investigation have mentioned the national chairman of the NDC,Samuel Ofosu Ampofo as part of the grand scheme designed to cause fear and panic in the country.

When the letter was put out in the public domain,some people including Sammy Gyamfi of the NDC who is a lawyer and ought to have known better described the invitation as baseless and bogus and insisted that,the NDC as a party which is not a "criminal organisation" won't allow their party chairman to honor the said invitation. It is sad that,a lawyer who wants to make a mark in life through the Bar would seek to lower the integrity accorded to the Bar by the public through such a behaviour.

Even before this invitation letter,criminally minded Samuel Ofosu Ampofo had been under investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana police for conspiring with some members of the NDC to destabilise the security of the state through "overt and covert" operations to make some people feel that,their lives are in danger. As we speak, contract killing, kidnapping and other social vices are on ascendancy.

It is also clear without any reasonable doubt that, even before the secret tape came to the public domain, There were cases of kidnapping and other contract killing in this country. At no point in time when those issues occured did any investigative body invite the chairman of the National Democratic Congress for questions. It was, therefore, only after, some one secretly recorded him when the national communication team of the NDC met to discuss the fall out of the Ayawaso By-election.

Aside the tape, the heightened level of social vices which has virtually put every citizen in fear as it stands now can well be described as "circumstantial" and inferring same from the things he said on the tape is enough to link Samuel Ofosu Ampofo to the recent social vices we have recorded in this country.

Nobody forced Samuel Ofosu Ampofo to say the kind of things on tape. Ghana is a country of laws,when you fall foul with it, it must be capable of dealing with you harshly in a manner that would be enough to deter people from repeating same in the near future.

Dawda Eric(Equity)

Citizen Vigilance For Justice

9th May,2019

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