Court discharges 7 ‘killers’ of Major Mahama to be tried in Accra

• Posted on June 19, 2017
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Police prosecutors in Cape Coast have discontinued the case against the first batch of persons who were arrested for their alleged complicity in the murder of Major Maxwell Adam Mahama.

The move is to allow the Police to transfer the seven accused persons, including the assembly man said to have masterminded the killing of the military officer at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region on May 29, 2017, to Accra for prosecution. The seven, all residents of Denkyira Obuasi, were arraigned on a provisional charge of murder on June 1 at the Cape Coast District Court which remanded them into police custody to allow for further investigations into the case.

When the case came up in Court Monday morning, police prosecutors announced the Police Central Intelligence Department Headquarters in Accra has taken over the case, hence prayed the court to discharge the accused persons. Counsel for the accused persons, George Bernard Shaw, did not oppose the request by the prosecution. However, he told the court the assemblyman, William Baah, has a head injury and prayed the court to order the prosecution to give him a medical attention.

He neither did not say how Baah had the head injury or the nature of the injury. The court in view of the prosecution’s request, discharged the seven persons and struck out the case. Discharging the accused persons, the judge, Rita Amonyiwaa Edusah, questioned why five of the accused persons were brought to court without having shoes on but they informed the court that they were arrested barefooted. The judge also ordered that the assemblyman and one other who also had a leg injury as well as all others who may require healthcare, be given medical attention. A member of the 5th Infantry of the Ghana Armed Forces, the then Captain Mahama was jogging at Denkyira-Obuasi at about 8:30am on May 29 when he was lynched and a part of his body set ablaze, the Military High Command confirmed in a statement the next day.

His body was filled with marks of assault including multiple deep cut wounds on the head and a partially burnt body, the Police have said. At least 50 residents of Denkyira-Obuasi have so far been arrested across the country as they tried to escape justice. Almost all the arrested have been put before various courts in Accra and have since been remanded. The Police is making efforts to consolidate the case into one for prosecution.

-3news