Nayele Cocaine case: The State unwilling to pursue Dawood
The State on Tuesday filed a nolle prosequi on notice at an Accra Circuit Court presided over by Mr Francis Obiri to drop the charges against Alhaji Dawood Mohammed, a businessman.
It was upon the notice to the court that the judge acquitted and discharged the accused person for want of prosecution.
The state was holding Alhaji for abetment of crime, an offence he pleaded not guilty too.
Mrs Inonopi Ann Mamatta, a Senior State Attorney, told the court that the state has no interest in prosecuting the case.
Mr Addo-Attuah, the defence Counsel for Alhaji Dawood said the decision was a victory for the country’s criminal justice system and as lawyers they should strive to exhibit judicial fairness at the bench.
“We anticipated this for a long time,” he added
Alhaji Dawood told the GNA that, he was thankful to almighty Allah for his greatness in vindicating him.
He said over the few months, it has been stress for him coming to court back and forth for a crime he knew nothing about.
“I give glory to God and thank my mother for her support,” he added.
The businessman said from now onwards, he would be very careful in helping and dealing with people and advised the public to be careful and know who they were helping.
Mr Richard Gyambiby, Assistant State Attorney, told the court at a previous sitting that the accused person and one Nayele Ametefeh, alias Ruby Appiah, alias Ruby Adu Gyamfi, were bosom friends.
He said the accused person was also a friend with almost all the employees at the VIP Lounge of the Kotoka International Airport.
He said there was an indication that through his interactions with Nayele, the accused person got to know that Nayele intended to travel with drugs to the United Kingdom.
“In the furtherance of her objective, the accused person offered his influence at the VIP Lounge to help Nayele use the VIP Lounge ostensibly to evade detection of security officers,” he said.
He said on or before November 9, 2014 the accused person, relying on his influence at the VIP lounge, got one Abiel Ashitey Armah and two others, who have already been charged before the court, to assist Nayele to use the facility.
Mr Gyambiby said on November 10, Nayele was arrested in the United Kingdom, after cocaine was found in her baggage.
He said upon hearing the arrest of Nayele, the accused fled to Nigeria, but he was placed on a wanted list by the BNI. He, however, returned from Nigeria.
The State Attorney said on his return, he was arrested and a search conducted on him revealed three Ghanaian passports and two Nigerian passports.
Nayele, who was the primary suspect, has been jailed eight years, eight months by the Isleworth Crown Court in London.
Source: GNA