Cocaine Woman Trial For High Court

THE TRIAL of the 37-year-old Moroccan woman arrested at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) for importing narcotic drugs into the country will now be heard at an Accra High Court. The accused, Fatima Elouardi, was standing trial at an Accra Circuit Court on two provisional charges of importation and possession of narcotic drugs without lawful authority. The Principal State Attorney, at the Circuit Court yesterday, prayed the court presided over by Audrey Kocuvie-Tay to discharge the accused on the charges preferred against her. The judge, upon the request of the prosecution, discharged the accused, after which she advised her to be careful not to get herself into such trouble again. Ms Kocuvie-Tay further told the accused to �label your own bag and don�t allow anybody to do that for you�. When it was translated to her in French that she had been freed, the woman broke down in tears, thanking the judge. However, just after coming out of the courtroom, Fatima was re-arrested and indications are that she would be put before a High Court on preferably new charges. It is not clear when she would be arraigned. Fatima�s arrest is said to be a collaboration between NACOB and its international partners which had been monitoring the movement of the accused and her accomplice for some time. The prosecutor, narrating the facts, stated that on April 5 2012, Fatima Elouardi, who was travelling from Sao Paulo, Brazil, via Dubai on Emirates Airlines, was arrested at the Kotoka International Airport with 2.7kg of cocaine with a street value of $1million. Fatima, who is noted for allegedly flying in and out of Ghana for some time now, was said to have first travelled from Morocco to Accra on March 19, 2012 and was allegedly met on arrival by Youssef, who checked her into the Golden Tulip Hotel. The following day, Youssef bought an Emirates Airline ticket for her and took her to the Kotoka International Airport to travel to Sao Paulo. In Sao Paulo, Fatima was believed to have met her alleged supplier, Kamil Jawahiri alias Salim, also a Lebanese who used to live in Ghana but relocated to Brazil. After meeting with the suspected supplier, Fatima was said to have left Sao Paulo for Accra on Thursday, April 5 2012. On arrival, she went through arrival formalities but walked out of the airport without claiming her luggage. According to reports, she phoned Youssef to inform him that she had arrived safely. NACOB and its international partners, who were monitoring her movement, arrested her while she was waiting to be picked up. She was then sent to the arrival hall to claim her luggage. After Fatima finally picked up her luggage and it was opened, the drug was found concealed under the bag. Upon interrogation, the suspect broke down and allegedly admitted to the offence. Her accomplice, Youssef Salloum, is at large. Meanwhile efforts are being made to get him arrested.