The Attorney General has requested for a duplicate case docket of the eight members of the pro-New Patriotic Party vigilante group, Delta Force, who allegedly raided a Circuit Court in Kumasi resulting in the escape of 13 other members who were standing trial.
Police prosecutor, ACP Okyere Darko, told the Circuit Court 2 in Kumasi Tuesday morning that the AG wants a duplicate of the case docket to enable for study to offer the necessary prosecution advice.
He thus prayed the court presided over my Ms Patricia Amponsah to adjourn the case, which the court obliged, and accordingly adjourned it to May 17, 2017.
The eight were on April 10 arraigned on charges of disturbing a court session, resisting arrest and rescuing persons in lawful custody.
A bail application was turned down by the Circuit Court but lawyers for the eight accused persons put forth another application before the Kumasi High Court which was granted.
We’ll wait for AG’s decision
Lawyer for the accused persons, Garry Nimako, told TV3 after Tuesday’s court session that they will wait patiently and monitor developments.
“We will wait to abide by the direction of the Attorney General” he said.
He was, however, not happy at the development, saying “I thought they were going to commence trial…”.
Background
Members of the Delta Force, a pro New Patriotic Party group, in March assaulted President Akufo-Addo’s newly-appointed Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator, George Agyei who they said did not contribute to the victory of the party, hence cannot work with him.
The action was condemned, pushing the Police in the Ashanti Region to act by arresting 13 of the group members believed to be mastermind of the criminal act.
The arrested were subsequently arraigned on assault charges at a Kumasi Circuit Court last Thursday but some other members of the group who were not happy with the court’s decision to remand them threatened the judge, caused destruction to property and freed the 13 accused persons.
Eight members of the group whose action led to the escape of the 13 were later arrested by the Police. A warrant was issued for the arrest of the 13 fugitives who later turned themselves in to the police and were re-arrested and remanded in prison custody.
By William Evans Nkum|TV3|3news.com|Ghana