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Forty-Four-Year-Old Chen Shicai, a Chinese national who was arrested for murder and alleged car snatching at machete point, has been languishing in prison custody for two years because the law court presiding over his trial has since not been able to get an interpreter to begin proceedings.

The suspect, then 42 years, was arrested by night police patrol team two years ago around the Tema Community 9 roundabout when he tried snatching a taxi from its owner at machete point.

Soon after Chen’s arrest, the then Tema Regional Police Commander DCOP, Maxwell Atingane, narrating the facts of the case, said on April 17, 2013 at 3:00 am, the  suspect stopped a taxi driver, George Kodua, who was then driving  his KIA Pride with registration number GE 1923 X around the Tema Community 9 roundabout.

Chen, according to the regional commander, immediately after getting on board pulled out a short butcher’s machete and tried to attack the cabbie. The cabbie was said to have abandoned the taxi and took to his heels out of fear.

The Chinese man allegedly drove the taxi but was involved in an accident around Ashiaman. He reportedly alighted from the taxi and walked towards the Ashiaman Engen Filling station where he tried to snatch another taxi from its owner.

The driver of the second taxi, an Opel Vectra with registration number GE 6992 V, according to the Commander, resisted the attack. It was during the scuffle with the suspect that the police patrol team arrived on the scene. On seeing the police, Chen reportedly took to his heels but was given a chase and arrested a few meters away from the spot.

He allegedly told the police that he had arrived in Ghana three days earlier and had been lodging in a hotel in Tema but could not mention the name of the hotel. However, police investigations into his claim of being in the country for three days proved false.

Later, during a parade before the Commander at the Tema Regional Police Command, Chen attempted to jump from the first floor of the building but was saved and whisked into a waiting police van.

Further investigations by the police revealed that prior to his arrest, Chen was fleeing from his Tema Community 12 Hotel Koreana room he shared with another Chinese national he had murdered.

The deceased was later identified as Rihui Wang, a mining consultant who had travelled from Dunkwa to Accra with his driver to meet Chen over a business discussion.

According to DCOP Atigane, when the driver of Rihui realized that his boss had still not come out of his hotel room after 10:00 a.m. the next day, he informed an official of the hotel. A search in Chen’s room revealed the remains of the Chinese mining consultant.

Chen, the police disclosed, later confessed to killing his friend but declined to give reasons for doing that, except to say that they fought over a blanket. He was subsequently charged for carjacking and murder and arraigned before two courts.

After a few appearances before the first court and subsequent transfer to another court, Chen has since been languishing in prison custody because the courts have not been able to get an interpreter. On the murder charge, his docket, which was sent to the Attorney Generals Department for advice, was yet to be forwarded to the prosecutor for the resumption of proceedings.

The General Telegraph’s checks revealed that some officials of the Chinese Embassy in Accra who came to the court during one of his appearances had since not attended any of the hearings.