Maj. Mahama murder case: Court dismisses bail application of Assembly member
An Accra High Court hearing the trial involving the alleged murderers of the late Major Maxwell Mahama on Monday dismissed a bail application for one of the accused persons.
Mr George Bernard Shaw, the Counsel for William Baah, the Assembly member of Denkyira Obuasi filed a motion for bail for his client.
Moving, the bail application, Mr Shaw said from the evidence presented so far to the court none of it connects to his client.
He said the case was a human rights one and the court needs to be presented with adequate facts and the correct narratives.
“My client is gainfully employed and serving the country as an Assemblyman with a wife and children,” he said.
Mr Shaw said his client needs to be out there to continue with his political work as an Assembly member.
Mrs Frances Mullen Ansah, a Senior State Attorney representing the state, in her response opposed the bail application, saying there were no delays in the trial to warrant the grant of such a request.
“It is our submission that there has not been any unreasonable delays in the trial to warrant the grant of bail to the applicant,” she added.
She said the prosecution has called 13 witnesses and was yet to call its final witness in the person of the investigator and have moved speedily to see to the logical conclusion of the case.
She said it was their submission that, if the court grants the accused person bail, looking at the circumstances and the charge leveled against the applicant, “he might not be available to stand trial.”
The Senior State Attorney said the laws of the land indicates that the punishment for abetment was the same as the actual offence.
She said the prosecution was left with only a witness and after that the accused person could open his defence.
In a respond, Mr Shaw said the application was not only on unreasonable delay alone.
The Court presided over by Justice Mariama Owusu, after hearing the parties dismissed the application.
She said there were a number of actors in the case, including 14 witnesses, six lawyers and seven members of the jury and there was no undue delay in the trial to warrant granting of bail.
Meanwhile, Mr Patrick Anim Addo, Counsel for Emmanuel Badu, Bismarck Abanga and Kwadwo Anima, has ended his cross-examination of Dr Lawrence Edusei, Specialist Pathologist at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
The case has been adjourned to January, 21 for continuation.
Fourteen persons are standing trial at an Accra High Court over the killing of Major Mahama, who was an officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion, at Burma Camp.
The late Major was on duty at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region when on May 29, 2017 some residents allegedly mistook him for an armed robber and lynched him.
The mob had ignored his persistent plea that he was an officer of the Ghana Armed Forces.
The accused are William Baah, the Assembly member of Denkyira Obuasi, Bernard Asamoah alias Daddy, Kofi Nyame a.k.a Abortion, Akwasi Boah, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi, Michael Anim and Bismarck Donkor.
Others are John Bosie, Akwasi Baah, Charles Kwaning, Emmanuel Badu, Bismarck Abanga and Kwadwo Anima.
Source: GNA