Akua Donkor, founder and 2016 presidential candidate of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), was yesterday sked by the judge of an Accra circuit court to exercise patience in court.
According to the judge, the fact that the court tolerates certain behaviours of Akua does not mean she has to continue doing so.
The GFP founder was at the court for further cross-examination from Detective Sergeant Jonas Ghebe, the investigator in the case in which she has accused four persons of robbing her.
However, in the course of the cross-examination, Madam Akua Donkor, (who is the complainant in the case) obviously unenthused by the answers of the police officer, raised her hand from the public gallery, wanting to “set the records straight.”
In reaction, the trial judge, Aboagye Tandoh, said, “In as much as I have tolerated you doesn’t mean that you will do that in court…”
He continued, “Once you have spoken, (given her evidence) you now have to observe proceedings of the court…You ought to be cautious and not be provoked. Yes, you would be provoked but don’t allow that to influence you.”
The judge said he was not happy with some of the answers that were being provided but he had to tolerate them.
After proceedings yesterday, it emerged that the reason why Akua raised her hand was to depute the amount allegedly seized from the accused persons during their arrest.
They are Yakubu Yusif, trader and the Central Regional chairman of the GFP; Banabas Kayase, driver/secretary of the party; Opoku Agyemang, trader and Abdul Razak Shaibu, a member of the GPRTU Task Force.
Earlier, in his evidence, the investigator attached to the Odorkor Police Station in Accra tendered the traveling bag containing the items – plane ticket, Ghanaian passport, voter ID card, SSNIT card, DVLA documents and monies – allegedly stolen from Akua.
D/Sgt. Ghebe also tendered in evidence the weapon Yakubu purportedly used to attack Akua and the $4,900 (in $100 denominations), insisting that the police took the serial numbers of the money.
The police officer, in an answer to a question posed by Vincent Aikins, lawyer for two of the accused persons, said there were three investigators on duty but he was called to handle the case.
He said he went to the crime scene with Yakubu and Banabas who were already on detention, immediately the matter was assigned to him.
D/Sgt. Ghebe was emphatic that the two are personal friends of Akua Donkor but could not tell when the accused persons laid ambush or when they planned to rob her.
Hearing continues on May 31.
By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson
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