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The Accra Circuit Court has set May 17 to start the hearing of the case in which two policemen are standing trial for allegedly mounting an unauthorised police checkpoint and extorting money from various drivers.

According to the prosecutor, Chief Inspector Ofori Amanfo, the prosecution was ready for the trial to start with its witnesses, who are also police officers.

He, however, urged the court presided over by trial judge Aboagye Tandoh to adjourn proceedings to enable him send “signals” to the witnesses.

Sitting continues on May 17, 2016.

The accused persons are General Constables Azumah Musah and Faati Jacob Tinob.
Although both of them are constables, Azumah was arrested in a police inspector’s uniform.

Azumah is facing two other counts of possessing military uniforms and firearms   without lawful authority.

They have denied the charges and are currently on bail in the sum of GH¢10,000 with two sureties each.

As part of the bail conditions, the cops are to report to the police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) until otherwise varied by the court.

The two on February 18 this year at Tabora, a suburb of Accra, reportedly extorted cash by means of threat from unsuspecting drivers to the tune of GH¢247.00.

According to the prosecution, Azumah was in December last year transferred to Apirade in the Eastern Region and that on the said day at about 7:30 pm at Tabora junction, a police team from PIPS arrested the two for professional misconduct.

A search conducted in the room of Constable Tinob revealed nothing incriminating against him.

In the case of Constable Azumah, police reports indicated that a single barrel gun, one unserviceable locally made pistol, two rubber toy pistols, four bulletproof vests, photocopy of a driver’s licence belonging to one Emmanuel K. Kumi, a temporary driver’s licence belonging to Sappor James, and a police camouflage with inspector’s lanyard, among others, were found in his room.

When questioned about the source of the items, Azumah, according to the police, said that the pistol and the single barrel gun were given to him for safekeeping by his ailing father at Asaam in the Ashanti Region.

He claimed he found the military uniform in a tent at the Police Training School in Accra but he did not hand it over to the authorities.