Eight Alleged Coup Plotters Granted Gh¢ 80 Million Bail

An Accra High Court has granted bail to eight persons accused of being part of a plot to destabilise the country and overthrow the government.

Each of the eight persons was granted bail in the sum of Gh¢10 milllion with two sureties to be justified, by the court, presided over by Justice Samuel Asiedu, a Justice of the Court of Appeal with additional responsibility as a High Court judge.

With the justification, the sureties must show prove that they have proprieties worth the Ghc10 million bail sum .

The eight accused persons are Dr Frederick Mac-Palm, the man accused of masterminding the alleged plot, Colonel Samuel Kodzo Gameli, Donya Kafui, Bright Alan Debrah Ofosu, Johannes Zipki, Corporal Seidu Abubakar, Lance Corporal Ali Solomon and Corporal Sylvester Akanpewon.

As part of the bail conditions, the court also ordered the accused persons to deposit their passports to the registrar of the court and also report to the police twice every week .

The eight were granted bail following an application by their lawyer, Mr Kodzoga Adawudu.

The bail was opposed by the prosecutor, Ms Hilda Craig, a Senior State Attorney

The eight are part of a group of 10 people accused of being part of Take Action Ghana (TAG), a group the state accused of plotting to destabilise the country and overthrow the government.

Two other accused persons – Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Dr Benjamin Agordzo and Warrant Officer (II) Esther Saan Dekuwine are already on bail.

Committed to stand trial

On March 3, 2020, the Kaneshie District Court committed the 10 accused persons to stand trial at the High Court.

The trial is expected to start on June 5,2020 with the empaneling of a jury .

Charges

Dr Mac-Palm, Kafui, Debrah, Dekuwine, Abubakar, L/Cpl Akanpewon and Zikpi have been charged with conspiracy to commit treason felony and treason felony, while Dr Mac-Palm and Kafui have been separately charged with conspiracy to possess explosives and ammunition without lawful excuse and possession of explosives and ammunition without lawful excuse.

Col. Gameli and ACP Dr Agordzo have been charged with abetment to treason felony.

Alleged killing of President

The facts of the case as presented by Ms Craig was that TAG plotted to destabilise the country and overthrow the government.

The prosecution claimed that, as part of the plot, Dr Mac-Palm, who is accused of being the mastermind of the plot, Kafui and Debrah planned on kidnapping the President, the Vice-President, the Speaker of Parliament and the Chief of the Defence Staff  and also force the President to announce his overthrow.

“Again, there were discussions on whether or not to kill the President in the process of overthrowing the government,” she said.

The prosecutor added that in June 2018, the security agencies picked up intelligence that the accused persons, under the auspices of TAG, had planned to overthrow and take over the government.

According to her, as part of the plan, Col. Gameli recruited Zikpi, who was a signal specialist with the GAF, to help jam the radio signals of the National Communications Authority.

TAG, she said, planned to jam all radio stations, with the exception of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.

The prosecutor said in furtherance of the plot, Dr Mac-Palm invited Kafui, who was a blacksmith at Alavanyo, to Accra to manufacture explosives and pistols for

With regard to ACP Dr Agordzo, she said he donated GH¢2,000 to TAG to aid its cause and also drafted a speech for Dr Mac-Palm to be read at the planned demonstration by TAG.

Source: Daily Graphic