The legal representative of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Benjamin Agordzo has pledged to initiate legal action against the State.
Lead Counsel, Martin Kpebu has demanded compensation for his client, citing the framing of a trivial case against his client.
“…..he said is it active, the tug group as an NGO and there’s going to be a demonstrating and he said look pass through the legal means. He said look pass through means and said conditions are ripe in Ghana for another spring and you see since the time he spoke its gotten worse and that was before COVID-19 hit and you are aware that when COVID-19 hit about 850,000 more of fellow Ghanaians were pushed below the poverty line.
“So now more people are hungry, out of jobs, unemployment, these are the things he was talking about so he said if you are going to demonstrate on such matters pass through the legal channels, that’s all that he said and yet the State moved a very frivolous to the highest degree around his neck. And you see today the Court has exonerated him. We will sue the State for compensation because the has been frivolous from day one,” he added.
This decision follows the recent acquittal of ACP Agordzo, Colonel Gameli, and another junior military officer, Corporal Seidu Abubakar.
The verdict, delivered on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, was originally slated for November 22, 2023, following the submission of written arguments by the involved parties.
VIDEO: ACP Agordzo's Initial remarks following acquittal.
— CITI FM 97.3 (@Citi973) January 24, 2024
In his first statements post-acquittal, ACP Agordzo expressed confidence in a positive outcome, despite uncertainty about the trial's duration.
The Court acquitted ACP Agordzo, along with Col. Samuel Kodzo Gameli and… pic.twitter.com/3HJLtBitqq
The charges, stemming from April 24, 2021, implicated Dr. Frederick Yao Mac-Palm, the late Chief Executive Officer of Citadel Hospital, ACP Dr. Agordzo, and eight others.
The accused faced a range of charges, including conspiracy to high treason, abetment to high treason, and high treason.
Among the accused were Dr. Mac Palm (now deceased), Donya Kafui alias Ezor, Bright Allan Debrah Ofosu, Yohannes Zikpi, Warrant Officer Class Two Esther Saan Dekuwine, Corporal Seidu Abubakar, Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, and Corporal Sylvester Akanpewon.
Colonel Samuel Kodzo Gameli and ACP Dr. Benjamin Agordzo were charged with abetment.
All ten accused individuals pleaded not guilty and were granted bail during the trial.
The passing of Dr. Mac-Palm led to the removal of his testimony from the records, officially confirmed by the Court.
The prosecution, led by AG Godfred Yeboah Dame, included figures from the Attorney General’s Department, such as Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, Director of Public Prosecution, Hilda Craig, Winifred Sarpong, Lawrencia Adika, and Akosua Agyapomaa Agyemang.
The defense team, comprised of lawyers from Legal Aid and private practitioners, represented each accused individual. Notable defense attorneys included Rita Akukunti Ali, Victor Kodjogah Adawudu, Anthony Lartey, Eric Kpongo, Lamptiig Apanga, Matthias Yir-Eru, Kormivi Dzotsi, Ephraim A. Vordoagu, and Maud Opoku.
The three-member panel of judges, sitting as additional High Court judges, consisted of Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, Justice Hafisata Amaleboba, and Justice Stephen Oppong, with Justice Asare-Botwe serving as the President of the panel.
Throughout the trial, State Prosecutors presented 13 witnesses, including seven soldiers. The Prosecution concluded its case on July 12, 2022, after a trial that commenced on June 8, 2021.