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Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Dr Benjamin Agordzo who has been on trial for treason felony since 2020, was re-arrested by the National Intelligence Bureau on Friday, 23 April 2021 along with nine others and charged with high treason and conspiracy to commit high treason.
A guilty verdict by the three high court judges hearing the case could mean the death penalty for the accused persons.
The nine others are Dr Mac Palm, Donyo Kafui, Bright Alan Debrah, Johannes Zikpi, WO II Esther Saan, Corporal Seidu Abubakar, Corporal Ali Solomon and Sylvester Akankpewu.
They were arraigned today, Saturday, 24 April 2021.
Dr Agodzo has been accused of helping Dr Frederick Yao Mac-Palm, the leader of the alleged coup plotters, to plan their putsch on a WhatsApp platform called Take Action Ghana.
Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame told the high court today that his office has filed a nolle prosequi to discontinue the treason felony case and rather pursue the new charges.
The accused persons, according to the AG, orchestrated their destabilisation plot between June 2018 and September 2019 in which they even planned killing the President.
He told the court that accused persons manufactured guns to carry out their aim.
Additionally, he said they intended jamming transmission of all media organisations except state broadcaster GBC and capture key state actors.
All the accused persons have pleaded not guilty to the charges of high treason, conspiracy to commit high treason and abetment to high treason.
Explaining the reasoning behind the new charge, Mr Dame said: “I think the point must be made that the Attorney General’s power to continue all criminal prosecutions is unfettered and the Supreme Court has said so clearly. Of course, that is not to suggest that the AG will be exercising that power at any point in time unjustifiably.”
“So, in the exercise of that power, I discontinued the earlier criminal matter, and they have been properly arraigned for the offence of high treason. And we think that the offence of high treason clearly fits the acts they have committed, and we are ready to prosecute them for those charges.”
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Classfmonline.com
