The Kaneshie District Court has committed the 10 alleged coup plotters to stand trial at the High Court. The district court magistrate, Eleanor Kakra Banes Botchway, in a ruling on Tuesday, held that the evidence presented by the prosecution was overwhelming and therefore there was a case for the 10 to answer at the High Court.
The ten indicted to stand trial are – Dr Frederick Yao Mac-Palm, a medical practitioner; Donyo Kafui, alias Ezor, a blacksmith; Bright Alan Debrah, a fleet manager.
Others are Colonel Samuel Kodzo Gameli, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Dr Benjamin Agordzor, Warrant Officer II Esther Saan Dekuwine, Corporal Seidu Abubakar, Lance Corporal Sylvester Akanpewon and Johannes Zikpi, a civilian employee of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
State prosecutors have accused the alleged coup plotters facing the law of hatching a plan to capture the President, Vice President, Speaker of Parliament, and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). The prosecution has also accused the alleged coup plotters of having discussion on whether or not to kill the President and also how to force him announce his overthrow.
This was contained in the prosecution’s facts presented by a Senior State Attorney, Hilda Craig, during committal proceedings at the Kaneshie District Court.
The Senior State Attorney also accused the alleged coup plotters planned to jam communications signals of the National Communications Authority (NCA) in furtherance of their plan to overthrow the government.
Hilda Craig told the court that the prosecution will call 19 witnesses and also present 113 exhibits as evidence to prove its case. The 10 individuals were accused of being members of Take Action Ghana (TAG), a group alleged to have hatched a plan to “destabilize the country and possibly take over the government”.
On his part, the alleged mastermind of a coup plot, Dr Frederick Yao Mac- Palm, says the organisation which he formed – Take Action Ghana (TAG) – was not interested in planning any coup but was rather planning to stage a demonstration to drum home bad governance in the country.
According to him, the political class was afraid of the impact TAG would have in the country and that was why the group had been accused of planning a coup. Dr Mac- Palm said he formed TAG in July 2018 as an NGO to bring relief to the vulnerable in the country and have embarked on many medical outreach programmes in the country.
Dr Mac-Palm added that after the Ayawaso West Wuogon by election violence , the group decided to embark on demonstration to highlight the spate of bad governance that had engulfed country. He said the group wanted to expose the ills of partisan politics across the political divide , adding “we don’t discriminate, whether NDC or NPP.
He said as part of the demonstration, the group decided to gather video evidence from media houses about the Ayawaso West Wuogon violence.
With the committal and referal to the High Court, it is expected that the trial would commence shortly as it is expected to be lengthy with twists and turns.
