Coup ‘Plotters’ Sing In Court ..As AG Pushers For Their Committal

Three of the suspects dragged before the Kaneshie District in Accra over some alleged attempts to destabilize the country yesterday gave varying accounts regarding the rationale behind the formation of the Take Action Ghana (TAG) whatsapp platform.

In the view of Dr Frederick MacPalm, the key suspect in the alleged coup plot, he had no such intention and simply organized like-minded people due to his dissatisfaction with issues in the country.

Dr MacPalm who was taking the offer from the District Court to speak for the first time after the state prosecutors asked that he should be committed to stand trial at the High Court stated that the allegations levelled against him are preposterous.

He said he took inspiration and formed TAG as an NGO to solve various challenges facing society adding that they had since its formation in 2018 embarked on outreach programs in the Upper West, Western and Eastern regions.

He said that was why he recruited people like ACP Agordzo and it had nothing to do with any coup plot.

“That’s how I galvanized people like ACP Agordzo and a few others on my Whatsapp platform. I emphasize that we never and ever discussed anything like coup d’etat.

“I believe, the organization TAG from its aims and objectives put fear into the powers that be so they turned around to cripple my organization and charging me with these crimes. It is based on falsehood, preposterous and I deny them absolutely”.

Suspects

Senior State Attorney Hilda Craig had told the court that some of them held discussions on whether or not to kill the President once their plot succeeds.

They are also alleged to have planned to acquire electronic equipment solely for the purpose of jamming the National Communications Authority’s system to render all broadcasting stations except the state broadcaster useless.

The accused persons are Dr Mac-Palm, a medical practitioner; Donyo Kafui, alias Ezor, a blacksmith; Bright Alan Debrah, a fleet manager.

Other accused persons 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)

The 10 individuals were accused of being members of Take Action Ghana (TAG), a group alleged to have hatched a plan to “destabilise the country and possibly take over the government”.

At the committals proceedings yesterday, a senior military officer, Colonel Kojo Gameli said he is being vilified.

Col. Gameli described the accusations as surprising when called upon by Magistrate Eleanor Botwe to speak.

“I am innocent and deny the charges against me. As a senior military officer, I have served the armed forces and mother Ghana for 31 solid years. I was recently promoted. Is this the best way to thank my superiors?” he quizzed.

On the other soldiers standing trial with him, he said he doesn’t know any of them but he will be their commander in this trial.

“I have not met them before, they have never served under me, and I have never held any such discussions with them.  However, in this trial, I am their commander and my heart is with them” he stated.

Set Up

He, however, said he has no idea about the weapons said to have been found in Dr MacPalm’s medical facility.

He ended his statement to the court by saying he suspects a plot by the security agencies because of what he knows.

“I think my link with this alleged coup plot is an orchestration by security agencies because of some serious problems within the Ghana Armed Forces which some of us are aware of. I am being intimidated and vilified. I deny all the charges against me. I have not been treated well since I was arrested. Sharing one lavatory with my soldiers and toothpaste as a senior military Officer is unfair” he complained

Speaking, senior police Officer ACP Agordzo said “First of all, I am innocent of the charge and I am surprised that despite the abundance of the evidence on the TAG platform to the contrary, the prosecution has charged me with an abetment. The prosecution is well aware of the purpose for which I donated the GH¢2,000 and is on the platform. The prosecution is also aware that TAG is just involved in a medical outreach program and there are a lot of pictures on the TAG platform to that effect.”

He argued that the Prosecution again is aware of the context within which statements in respect of mass mobilization of people was made and that “I never drafted any speech and that it was a common Whatsapp message that many people can have access to if it was read here and it was within a context. That forwarded message, the content has to do with the danger posed by vigilante groups all over the world including Ghana. That is the content of the speech they are talking about. It was at the time that the Ayawaso West Wuguom by-election violence was recorded.”

“My Lord, I am a citizen of Ghana and not a spectator and within that context, I spoke and made my views known to the world on the WhatsApp platform. A WhatsApp platform that is shared by hundreds of people from all walks of life. Where Lawyers, police, soldiers, teachers, members from civil society organizations share ideas” ACP Agordzo said.

“Indeed, I had already shared, a year earlier my ideas on political vigilantism and is a subject matter of political discussion today. I am very certain my Lord, that the prosecution has an ulterior motive to destroy my career and also to gag me. When I talk about prosecution it includes investigations. So they have an ulterior motive to destroy my career and to gag me.”

High Court

The Court however committed 10 persons to stand trial at the High Court.

This was after state prosecutors had given the court a summary of the state’s case against them and an overview of the evidence it intends to use against them.

The magistrate Burns in her ruling to commit the accused persons said upon assessing all the evidence put before her, she believes they have questions to answer.

Per the charges leveled against them, which include treason felony, conspiracy to commit treason felony and abetment of treason felony, the accused persons are likely to face a panel of three high court judges who will hear the case.