Lawyers for Asem Darkeh seek for bail

Mr George Heward-Mills, Counsel for Christian Asem Darkeh, alleged importer of the MV Benjamin cocaine on Thursday told an Accra Circuit Court hearing the case that he intends seeking for bail for his client.

He said he therefore intends to seek for the bail at the High Court, explaining that the State could not continue to detain his client indefinitely, which is against his fundamental human rights.

However, the prosecution told the court that investigations are still ongoing and should be given some time.

Ms Audrey Kokuvi Tay, the trial judge subsequently adjourned the case to Wednesday, May 2.

The facts are that sometime in April 2006, intelligence report indicated that a shipping vessel, MV Benjamin had been spotted on the high seas carrying about 77 parcels of cocaine heading towards Ghana’s coast.

On the midnight of April 26, 2006, the vessel docked at Kpone/Tema and discharged the cocaine, which was off-loaded into a waiting vehicle and taken away.

Investigations led to the arrest of some suspects, who were tried, convicted and sentenced to various prison terms.

During investigations, Darkeh’s name featured prominently as the importer and owner of the cocaine as well as the person who sent the vessel MV Benjamin from Ghana, and paid $150,000 to use another vessel from Guinea.

The accused took the cocaine parcels away upon arrival of the ship at Kpone.

On February 2, this year, the accused was arrested at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra upon a tip-off after being on the run since 2006.

Source: GNA