Treason trial: My client was at the meeting to form TAG soldiers

Defense Counsel for Bright Alan Debrah, alias BB, an accused person in the ongoing treason trial, says his client attended the meeting for planning to allegedly overthrow government, to form soldiers for Take Action Ghana (TAG).

The reason (BB) accused was there was in relation to the formation of TAG soldiers and not to partake in the alleged coup plot, he said.

However, Staff Sergeant Jonas Yeankye Kofi Nantorna said, “I don’t know anything concerning TAG soldiers”.

The Counsel, Victor Kwadjoga Adawudu, said BB never said that they were there to plan the overthrow of government but Staff Sergeant Nantorna, the fifth prosecution witness, said “because of the briefing from Staff Sergeant Awarf, (the star witness) all of us at the meeting knew the reason we were there.

“You told the Court that you went there with Sergeant Zakari Wahid, Naziem, Awarf, these were the people you knew?” Asked the lawyer”.

Witness on the other hand answered “no there were others who were also added to us. On the first meeting Awarf and Zakari took the lead before the rest, Naziem and I went there later”.

He asked whether the witness knew the names of the others at the meeting but witness said “apart from the soldiers added to us and their names submitted to Director of Defense Intelligence (DDI), the rest I did not know”.

The lawyer then told him that if he did not know some people and he met them at a place he could not tell the reason for their presence at that meeting.

Witness insisted that “each and everyone there knew the reason for the meeting, when I got there the meeting was in session. Those I went to the meeting with, I knew them.

Nantorna then mentioned the names of those he knew at the meeting as Awarf, Zakari, Naziem Victor, Dasmani Faisal, Takyi Joel, Ofosu Addo, Mensah Andrews, Atta Yeboah, Addae Sylvester which later he got to know was Akankpewu, Nii Ankra, Ibrahim, Ali Solomon, Abubakar Seidu Sadiq, Warrant Officer class two (WO2) Esther Saan, BB and myself when he was asked to.

Mr Adawudu said the list of attendees which was later copied by Nantorna and being used as evidence was one of the lists Staff Sergeant Awarf brought to be used to incriminate the accused but witness answered in the negative.

The lawyer again asked if there was a date on the exhibit, had signature of the authored or those of has any of accused persons but he said no.

Defense counsel then said the exhibit was an afterthought and witness said, “no, my lords”.

Counsel, in his cross examination, said the document was one of the tools Nantorna and Awarf had used to deceive their superiors that people were planning to overthrow the government.

Witness stated that from the meeting, he gave the sheet to Awarf and he also gave it to their superiors.

The lawyer said Nantorna was misled to believe that there was going to be an alleged plan to overthrow the Government, witness said he was not misled because he was at the meeting and everyone heard what they discussed.

It was based on this information and briefing that Awarf gave you that was how you assumed that some people wanted to overthrow this government.

Yes, my lords if our superiors had not made us to form a team to meet them, I wouldn’t have known that what Awarf told me was real, he said.

Counsel also pointed out to the witness that, nowhere in the video was he seen copying the said names and he did that before he was captured in the recording. When it was time for questions and suggestions he also took notes and handed all over to their superiors through Awarf.

BB, together with Mac Palm, Donyo Kafui, blacksmith, alias Ezor, Johannes Zikpi, civilian employer with GAF, corporal Seidu Abubakar, lac Ali Solomon, Colonel Samuel Kojo Gameli, WO2 Esther Saan, Akankpewu and Assistant Commissioner of Police Benjamin Kwasi Agordzo, have been charged for varied offences towards the alleged overthrow.

They have since denied all the charges including conspiracy, possession of ammunition, abetment and high treason.

All the ten have since been granted bail.

Source: GNA