Cocaine swap: DSP Tehoda granted bail
The Human Rights Division of the Fast Track High Court, on Tuesday granted bail to Mrs Gifty Mawuenyegah Tehoda, Deputy Superintendent of Police, who is at the centre of the cocaine-turn-sodium carbonate saga.
The court presided over by Mr Essel Mensah admitted DSP Tehoda, the Deputy Head of the Commercial Crimes Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service to a bail of GH¢100,000 with two sureties.
Granting her bail, the court noted that the offence under which DSP Tehoda had been charged was alien to the laws of the land adding there was no reason to hold the applicant in custody.
It said that there were errors on the statement of offence and particulars of the offence which invariably made use of “lose” and “stealing” respectively.
In the statement of offence, the state accused DSP Tehoda of abetting to stealing of cocaine whiles in the particulars of offence it indicated that she abetted to the loss of the cocaine.
Moving the application for bail, Mr E.A. Vordoagu, one of the counsels of the Mrs Tehoda , noted that since December 29, 2011 she had been in the custody of the BNI until January 12, and that the same court granted her bail following its ruling a writ of Habeas Corpus.
He said although DSP Tehoda was granted bail, the BNI insisted in keeping her and after endorsing her bail, she was informed by authorities of the Ghana Police Service that she was needed by BNI for interrogation based on fresh matters arising.
He said she was then placed before a Circuit Court by BNI which declined her bail after pleading guilty to abetting to stealing the cocaine.
Mr Vordorgu said this offence did not fall under the situation where bail could be refused and that he was repeating his application for bail based on charges preferred against his client which was “incompetent, frivolous, vexatious and mischievous”.
He said the state cannot arrest his client and then go around fishing for evidence to prosecute her.
Mr Rexford Wiredu, Principal State Attorney, who opposed to the application, said it was untrue that DSP Tehoda was clandestinely arraigned.
He said it was also untrue that the counsels of the applicant had been denied access to their client adding that it was DSP Tehoda’s husband and her niece known as Sergeant Mawuengah who had been denied access to the senior officer.
He told the court that if the applicant was granted bail she might interfere with the investigations.
On January 30, this year the BNI was ordered to produce DSP Tehoda who had applied for bail at the Human Rights Court presided over by Mr Justice Kofi Essel-Mensah.
Mrs Tehoda on January 17, 2012 pleaded not guilty to one count of abetment of stealing of cocaine and was remanded by the Circuit Court to reappear on February 6, 2012.
Source: GNA