Court Discharges Imam, Arabic Teacher Held Over Defilement

Abdul Mugis, a 51-year-old Imam and Arabic Teacher who was accused of defiling a five-year-old girl at Maamobi, a suburb of Accra has been discharged by an Accra Circuit Court.

The court discharged Mugis after it struck out the case because the complainant (mother of the victim) was not forthcoming despite various calls extended to her to appear in court.

On February 15, this year, the case was heard in chambers.

The accused and the case prosecutor were escorted to the Judge's chamber.

On their return, the GNA gathered that the accused had been discharged and the case had been struck out.

The court had given the prosecution the opportunity to produce the complainant.

The prosecution on its part had made several phone calls to the complainant and in some instances, she had promised to appear in court. However, whenever the case was called she was nowhere to be found.

Mugis, was charged with defilement and had pleaded not guilty.

He had been on bail in the sum of GHC50,000 with three sureties, one to be justified with a title deed.

The case of Prosecution led by Chief Inspector Kofi Atimbire was that the complainant was the mother of the victim and that both lived together.

It said the accused was an Arabic teacher residing in the same area as the complainant.

The prosecution said on November 19, last year, at about 6:30 am while the complainant was bathing the victim, she complained of pains in her vagina.

It said when the victim was questioned, she narrated the ordeal she had gone through in the hands of the accused on November 18, last year after closing from Arabic classes in the evening.

The prosecution said the victim indicated that on the said date, the accused took her to his room near the Arabic School, removed her pant, applied pomade into her vagina and allegedly had sex with her.

It said a report was made to the Domestic Violence and Victim’s Support Unit at Nima, Accra and a medical report form was issued to the complainant to send the victim to the hospital for examination and treatment.

The prosecution said the accused was later arrested.