Major Mahama’s murder trial adjourned to March 5 

The Criminal Division of the Accra High Court on Thursday adjourned the hearing of the case involving the murder of Major Maxwell Mahama to March 5 this year.

 Fourteen persons are standing trial for the murder of the Major who was lynched by a mob at Dankyirah-Obuasi in the Central Region, who mistook him to be an armed robber. 

The court presided over by Ms Mariama Owusu, a Court of Appeal Judge, sitting as an additional High Court Judge, said the adjournment is to enable the court to constitute a jury and also to enable the parties to prepare adequately for the trial to commence.

Initially, when the case was called the accused were not immediately present, which Mrs Evelyn Keelson, a Chief State Attorney explained to the court that their absence was due to issues of transportation. 

She assured the court that the Police were resolving the problem to enable the accused appear, eventually while the proceedings was on going the accused were dully brought to the court.

Mrs Keelson therefore prayed the court for a two-week adjournment for consultation with other parties.

She also prayed the court for a committal warrant to be issued to the Prison Authorities for the commencement of the trial. 

The court, therefore advised some of the accused, who are still not represented by lawyers to intensify their engagement for a lawyer before the next sitting.

Seven out of the 14 accused had not been able to engage the services of lawyers to defend them.

On January 11, 2018, the 14 were committed by an Accra Central District Court, which found that there was enough evidence against them to stand trial on the charges preferred against them.

They were among 22 persons arraigned before the court on charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Eight of the suspects were however, discharged as according to the Attorney General’s Office, there was not enough evidence linking them to the crime.

Major Mahama, an Officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion at the Burma Camp was on duty at Dankyira-Obuasi. On May 29, 2017 some residents lynched him allegedly mistaking him to be an armed robber because he had a pistol in his back pocket.

The mob ignored his consistent plea that he was an officer of the Ghana Armed Forces.

Source: GNA