Some interesting developments are happening in the ongoing treason trial nicked named the “Kitchen knife” coup with the biggest revelation being that the state prosecutors, used a murder suspect, Sergeant Sule Kojo Awarf, who is currently on trial in another court, as their star witness.
But curiously, journalists covering the treason proceedings, are not reporting on the bombshell, leaving families of the alleged coup plotters, their defense lawyers and others in total shock.
In what appears to be “give a dog a bad name and hang it”, the media is only focused on what the state is saying against the accused nine persons whose rebuttals are not adequately captured.
The 37-year-old Sergeant Awarf, according the charge sheet committed the murder on August 30, 2020, during the Homowo festival at Nsakina near Amasaman in the Ga West Municipality of the Greater Accra Region, when a scuffle ensued between him and some two brothers. He pulled a military pistol, shot and killed one Isaac Quansah alias “Ayitah”.
While Isaac died instantly, his brother, Bright Quansah, sustained severe injuries and has since been left almost paralyzed as result of the gunshots fired by Sergeant Awarf, who is mentioned outside the courtroom as a well-known land guard who enjoys lots of favour from the top hierarchy of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), particularly Major General Nicholas Peter Andoh.
The cross-examination of Sergeant Awarf, who claimed he recorded the audio and video of meetings of the coup plotters, was described as interesting, as he exhibited inconsistencies and created credibility gaps in his answers to the High Court.
The case is being adjudicated by three High Court justices namely; Justice Hasatu Amaliboba, Justice Oppong with Justice Afia Serwaa Asare Botchway, presiding.
During the trial last week, Awarf, was exposed as not trustworthy based on his 2020 murder case which he is still facing with claims that schemes are underway by the Ghana Police Service and the military to set him free on reports that he committed the murder out of self-defense.
When the murder charges were put to him in court by Ephraim Vodoagbe, one of the defense counsels, Awarf admitted killing Isaac, but quickly claimed that he had been acquitted and discharged, however, this was debunked by the evidence that the next adjourned date for the case before the Adjabeng District Court, is this Wednesday, November 10, 2021.
Interestingly, while facing the murder trial, the military promoted Awarf from the rank of a Corporal to a Sergeant even though by the military tradition, his promotion should have been withheld until the end of the criminal trial. In some instances, soldiers involved in high profile cases such as murder are either kept in a military guardroom or not allowed to wear uniform. Awarf is on bail and carrying out military duties.
But Awarf, is not the only one promoted by GAF in this case. All of the state’s key witnesses; Major General Nicholas Peter Andoh and Col. Isaac Amposah who are serving with the Military Intelligence at Teshie Camp Accra, have been promoted by the military.
Another test of Sergeant Awarf came when Lawyer Vordoagu, the lead counsel for Dr Frederick Yao Mac Palm, asked him how he got enlisted into Ghana Army, and he responded that he entered after completing Bechem Technical School, where he obtained a diploma in carpentry and joinery course with Second Class Upper. Interestingly, the said school only issues N.V.T.I certificates.
Awarf was further asked if the certificate he used to enter the Army was his personal certificate bearing his name, and he answered in the negative, saying the certificate was not his. This sent shockwaves through the courtroom.
The revelation exposed the rot and corruption in the recruitment processes; a serious indictment on the officers who processed Awarf’s documents in 2007 as failing to carry out any serious background check on his educational background.
Clearly, Awarf joined the Military with a forged certificate from Bechem Technical School. It is unclear, how many other persons enlisted as soldiers by the GAF, who are carrying such fictitious documents.
Sergeant Awarf, was further asked if he was a land guard since he does lots of jobs for his military bosses by chasing out people with weapons under the banner of protecting their lands, and if his role mandates him to carry weapons, and the officer who approved his weapon.
But he refused to answer the question regarding the weapon, stating he is a secret agent for his commanding officer one Brigadier General Nsiah-Yeboah, so he is allowed to carry weapons.
The many issues surrounding the Sergeant Awarf, has left room for speculation that he was used to set up the supposed coup plotters. Indeed, Lawyer Vodoagbe, has told the court that the video and audio recordings used as a key exhibit against the supposed coup-plotters look like a hatchet job because the audiotapes and video recordings look evidently doctored.
Defense counsels have also been pointing out that none of the alleged coup plotters is heard even once mentioning a coup plot in the videos and audios.
The emerging impression is that Sergeant Awarf was used to set up the supposed coup plotters in a deal for him to have his murder charges dropped, with his promotion as an additional perk.
In what has already generated suspicion of set-up, all the key witnesses are soldiers stationed to the Military Intelligence with the Ghana Armed Forces.
Shortly after their testimonies, it has been gathered that Major General Andoh, Chief of Staff of the Army was promoted to a two-star general. Before his new position, Andoh was a Brigadier and the Director-General of Military intelligence.
His quick rise to the rank of Major General past his seniors in the military’s pecking order, including Rear Admiral Beick-Baffoe, Chief of Naval Staff and Major General Francis Ofori, Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Center is fueling the suspicion more and more.
Maj. Gen. Andoh, is said to have gotten the Sergeant, Awarf to secretly carry cameras and audio devices to record the supposed coup to oust President Akufo Addo and his administration.
For his part, Col. Isaac Amposah, Director of Operations, military intelligence, the third witness that the State has called, has since left Ghana for a course in the US in what is expected to culminate in a promotion upon his return.
Last year, the Jubilee House had raised a hysterical alarm that a group of knife-wielding security agents was coerced by a medical doctor to stage a coup d’etat.
The accused persons in the case are Dr Frederick Yao Mac Palm, Donyo Kafui, alias Ezor, Bright Alan Debrah, alias BB, Johannes Zikpi, Colonel Samuel Kojo Gameli, Warrant Officer Class Two Esther Saan, Corporal Seidu Abubakar, Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, Corporal Sylvester Akanpewe, Assistant Commissioner of Police Benjamin Kwasi Agordzo, have pleaded not guilty to charges, including conspiracy to commit crime, high treason, abetment of crime and possession of arms.
During the trial last week, Sergeant Awarf, was further asked if the military police was aware of the murder case and assisted in the investigation, because he was a serving military officer, but he answered that the military police was not involved in the murder case.
He also claimed he did both video and audio recordings of meetings each time he met with the alleged coup plotters but when the videos were played some of the audiovisuals were not clear and properly visible compared to the sole audio recordings which was very clear without interruption.
Lawyers put it to him that the videos were made or created as an afterthought based on the audio but he denied saying he was given a recording devices from the Defense Intelligence which did not work well so he was given a different device which can record for a short while about three minutes and save by itself thereby producing several short videos in the intervals of two, three and four minutes totaling about 70 short videos.
However the lawyers rejected his claims and picked some videos from the evidential exhibits presented to the court when the videos were played continuously for 18 minutes without break to prove to the witness that his assertions were not correct and that the videos were edited.
In another scenario, a six minutes video of the same event was broken into two sections of three minutes playing time, and the lawyers put another video to the witness and it emerged that it was edited but the editing was not done by him. The witness confirmed that his superiors did the editing, hence not original.
Source: Theheraldghana