Coup plotters’ case: Court adjourns case on health grounds

The High Court hearing the alleged coup plotters case was on Monday, June 20, 2022, compelled to adjourn on health grounds.

Midway into the cross-examination of the 12th prosecution witness, Detective Chief Inspector Michael Nkrumah of the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), one of the defense lawyers, brought to the attention of the court, the medical situation.

Warrant Officer (WO) II, Esther Saan Dekuwmine alias Mama Gee, was throwing up.

She was immediately taken down to the court clinic where she was attended to, and the courtroom sanitised.

Lawyers later informed the court that doctors at the clinic were still administering laboratory tests on the accused person, and that it did not appear she would be fit enough to immediately resume the trial.

This is notwithstanding that the Court Warrant Officer had already informed the Court that the vomiting was as a result of the accused person taking medication on an empty stomach.

The court, upon being persuaded by the Bar, adjourned to Wednesday, June 22, 2022, to allow for a conclusion of the cross-examination and for subsequent directions.

This was not without caution from the President of the three-member panel, Her Ladyship, Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe, that the court will by all means meet its July 4 timeline for submissions of no case (where any) and would thus not countenance calculated delays.

The trial court was initially scheduled to hear the last of the cross-examinations on Monday and to allow the prosecution to close its case on the matter.

This would have been followed with directions on submissions of no case, presumably to be made by the defense lawyers.

But this was not to be the case, as the day took an unexpected turn.

It is, however, expected that this process would be followed through with on Wednesday to allow for the next phase of the trial to begin.

Source: Citinews