I Won’t Come to Court! – Dr. Obengfo tells Police

Doctor Dominic Kwame Obeng-Andoh, the Medical Officer of the Obeng Medical Hospital has called the bluff of state prosecutors insisting he would not appear in court.

According to Detective Chief Inspector Simon Apiorsornu, the accused who is before an Accra Central District Court for murder over the death of Stacy Offei Darko, 37, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Entrepreneurship Innovative Programme (NEIP) at the Jubilee House had refused to come to court.

He claimed that the accused was hiding under the pretext of his admission at the Greater Accra Regional to avoid attending court.

D/C. Insp, Apiorsornu was emphatic that Obeng-Andoh told investigators dispatched to the hospital that he would not come to court because he is unwell.

The prosecutor quoted the Medical Director and the Medical Administrator of the hospital as having told the investigators that Obeng-Andoh is not sick and was only hiding under the cover of his admission to avoid court.

In the view of the senior police officer, the accused had used a similar modus operand to evade attending court in another case until he was ordered by the court to appear before it.

D/C. Insp, Apiorsornu further told the court the court presided over by Afua Sackey yesterday that Obeng-Andoh is fit particularly when no doctor had diagnosed the accused of any sickness to indicate that he cannot stand trial.

The police prosecutor while registering the displeasure of the prosecution over the issue urged the court to move Obeng-Andoh from the Greater Accra Regional Hospital to the Police Hospital both in Accra.

He argued that the Police Hospital had equally competent doctors to take care of the assured stressing that the court ought to issue an order to the Medical Director to furnish the court with medical report on the accused.

The senior police officer said “We wonder what kind of sickness he is suffering from…”

Emotions

But Jonathan Dzaisu, lawyer for Obeng-Andoh and one Edward Amponsah, 46, would not take anymore of what he described as the mi-information of the prosecution.

He opined that the prosecution was misleading the court which could compel it to act in a certain direction.

Jonathan said his client who was in court at the last court date was sent to the hospital on the orders of the court, flatly denying the accusation of the prosecution.

The lawyer claimed that as at the time he went to see his client on Monday, a team of medical doctors were attending to him.

He said he impressed upon the team to make sure the accused was in court but he had a call to indicate that the accused’s persons health had deteriorated.

Jonathan wondered why the hospital which had declared Obeng-Andoh healthy would still keep him stressing that the case was not a life and death issue and that the prosecution was being emotional about the case.

The lawyer assured the court that when Obeng-Andoh is confirmed fit, he would come to court.

The trial magistrate however ordered that the medical administrator of the hospital furnish the court with a comprehensive medical report on the accused since May 29 when he was admitted at the facility till date.

In the view of the court, the medical facility should also tell the court whether Obeng-Andoh is fit to stand trial as well as any other relevant information.

According to the police, the accused on May 21 this year caused the death of the NEIP Deputy CEO at Weija in Accra.

Also, in the dock with Obeng-Andoh, 49 is one Edward Amponsah, 46, a cleaner for impersonation.

According to the prosecution led by Detective Chief Inspector Simon Apiorsornu, the accused on May 22 “falsely presented yourself to the mortuary attendant at the ST. Gregory Catholic Hospital as a biological elder brother to the deceased, a representation you knew as at the time of making to be false.”

Hearing is adjourned until the case June 19.

Facts

Nana Akosua Animah I, a resident at Michel Camp, the Complainant is the mother of the deceased.

On May 20, this year, Stacy went to the hospital for liposuction and fat transfer surgery been performed by Dr. Obeng-Andoh but she died on May 21 at about 4pm while on admission after the surgery.

On May 22, upon the orders of Dr. Obeng-Andoh, Edward sent the body to three different mortuary facilities but was rejected with the reason that a relative must be present before it could be accepted.

According to the police prosecutor, based on this, Edward sent the body to ST Gregory Hospital’s mortuary at Buduburam where he presented himself to the mortuary attendant that he is the biological elder brother of Stacy and authorized them to embalm the body.

The body was embalmed and preserved the same day without informing the either the bereaved family or the police.

Suspicion

The bereaved family got hint of it and on May 24, suspected foul play and informed police.

“Police proceeded and inspected the body at the mortuary and found multiple surgery fresh cars on some parts pf the body which suggested a foul play” police facts sheet said.

The body was conveyed and deposited at the Korle-Bu Hospital mortuary for autopsy leading to the arrest of the accused persons.

By: Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson