Maj. Mahama Trial: Key suspect denies involvement in lynching

Charles Kwaning, one of the alleged murderers of Major Maxwell Mahama has denied his active involvement in the lynching of the Army Officer.

The State identified the accused person in the amateur video wearing a red T-shirt and a long-short holding at one point a gun and on the other hand a stick, but he denied his own identity.

Kwaning was answering questions in a cross-examination by Mrs Frances Mullen-Ansah, Chief State Attorney.

The prosecution insisted that the person in the video with the red T-shirt and a pair of long shorts was the accused.

When a photo album was handed over to the accused person to identify himself, he could not, indicating that the person in the picture was not him.

The prosecution suggested to the accused person that, he was the one in the video, holding a gun, still wearing a red T-shirt and a pair of long shorts but Kwaning denied, saying, “I cannot see the face of the person but in any case, my gun was folded.”

The State pointed to the accused person that he actually took active part in the lynching of the Major, but he denied saying, he was there but he only helped in preventing people from hitting him with cement block.

The prosecution suggested to the accused person that in his statement to the Police in Kasoa, he indicated that he was not at the crime scene but when he got to the Police Headquarters, he stated that he was at the scene, but Kwaning said he told the Police at all times that he was at the scene.

He said it could be that the Police in Kasoa did not capture what he truly said.

Fourteen persons are standing trial at an Accra High Court over the killing of Major Mahama, who was an officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion, at Burma Camp.

The late Major whiles on duty at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region on May 29, 2017, some residents allegedly mistook him for an armed robber and lynched him, ignoring his persistent plea that he was an officer with the Ghana Armed Forces.

The accused persons are William Baah, the Assembly member of Denkyira-Obuasi, Bernard Asamoah, alias Daddy, Kofi Nyame a.k.a Abortion, Charles Kwaning a.k.a Akwasi Boah, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi, Michael Anim and Bismarck Donkor.

The others are John Bosie, Akwasi Baah, Charles Kwaning, Emmanuel Badu, Bismarck Abanga and Kwadwo Anima.

Source: mypublisher24