Drama unfolded in an Accra Circuit Court yesterday when state prosecutors discharged a middle-aged woman who was being tried for robbery.
The quick U-turn by the prosecution follows comments by George Asamaney, lawyer for the accused on Friday that Mary Kumabu, trader aka New Town Madam had been dragged to the court to be persecuted.
Asamaney said: “It is clear that in this court of law, sometimes we do things that ridicule the whole judicial process in the country.”
The lawyer urged the court, presided over by Aboagye Tandoh, to grant bail to his client.
He stated that “she has not taken part in any robbery, the accused person is even sick, this is travesty of justice; this is not right.”
However, hours after the comments by the lawyers, the prosecution, led by DSP Kweku Bempah, withdrew the earlier charges of conspiracy to rob and robbery and substituted it “possession of stolen property.”
The prosecution said that Madam New Town on March 17 this year took possession of 300 cartons of Princesse Sardines worth GH¢31,500 and 150 cartons of tiger head batteries valued at GH¢21,750, which belonged to Santhosh Kumar.
She denied the charge and was granted bail in the sum of GH¢100,000 with two sureties, one to be justified.
DSP said the complainant was an employee of White Lane Company Limited who was in-charge of the company’s Madza Truck with registration GT 6687-11.
He said at about 4:30 am on the fateful day, the complainant was asked to deliver the said items from Odorna to a customer at Assin Praso and that about two kilometres before the Weija Toll Booth, a taxi overtook the complainant and told him that his back door was opened.
DSP Bempah stated that the complainant parked along the road and came down only to realize that the rear door was intact.
He said when he was returning to take his seat, four armed men from the taxi suddenly attacked him and struck him with some implements.
He noted that another 207 Mercedes Benz mini bus also parked behind the complainant’s truck and two men came to join the four and forced the complainant into the 207 mini bus amidst beatings and drove him towards Gomoa and finally diverted to a bushy area.
The police officer said the gang stripped the complainant naked, tied his hands with his singlet and threw him into the bush after robbing him of his Samsung mobile phone and the cash.
When the armed robbers left, the complainant managed to untie himself and went to a nearby town where he was given some clothing to wear.
DSP Bempah said Kumar was contacted, adding that a tracking device installed in the truck led the police to the house of the accused where some of the items were found in her Rexton private car with registration number GT 6110-14.
<<Print>>