The Minority in Parliament has entreated President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to ensure the eight members of Delta Force who were acquitted by a Kumasi Circuit court over the lack of evidence are re-arrested.
The NDC MPs at a news conference in Accra Wednesday said the Attorney-General’s decision to discontinue the case for want of evidence is “an abuse of discretion, it is capricious.”
Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu told the media it was obvious from the court’s ruling that it was done for narrow political expediency because, the men belong to the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
“We find it very bizarre that the Hon. Attorney-General, Ms Gloria Akuffo, who assured the entire citizenry of her commitment to fairness ….will claim that she exercised the said constitutional discretion on grounds merely that there was a lack of evidence,” he said.
A Kumasi Circuit Court has discharged eight members of NPP-linked militia group, Delta Force, who were being tried after they disrupted court proceeding of 13 of their members on April 6, 2017.
The 13 were part of 21 men arrested by the police after they attacked the newly appointed Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator, George Agyei. The men had said Mr Agyei did not deserve the position because he played no role in the struggle to bring the NPP into power.
They wanted President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to appoint their leader who was instrumental in the NPP’s 2016 elections camapign.
Out of the 21 men who were rounded up by the police and arraigned before court, only 13 showed up. This compelled Presiding judge, Mary M.E. Nsenkyire to direct the 13 men to be kept in custody to reappear on April 20.
Dissatisfied with the judge’s decision, the well-built men numbering 50 stormed the court and resisted an order to hold 13 of their members in prison custody. They freed their colleagues.
The eight were charged with disturbing a court session, for resisting arrest, and freeing the 13 persons who were in lawful custody.
At a court hearing in Kumasi, the case against the eight was dismissed due to the absence of evidence.
But the Minority has asked President Akufo-Addo to demonstrate leadership by calling for the re-arrest and prosecution of the eight men without fail.
“We demand therefore that this cancerous exercise of discretion be reversed immediately and the accused re-arraigned before court without any further hesitation,” Mr Iddrisu said.
According to him, there is enough evidence on social media especially on Facebook to aid the Attorney-General with the prosecution of the men.
“Some evidence is available and some can be made available and some can be found so we encourage them to find some,” he said.
Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brakopowers | Instagram: @Realbrakopowers
