Mahama ‘Killers’ Hot-Trial Begins March 5

The Accra High Court has set Monday, March 5 to start hearing the case involving the 14 persons standing trial over the murder of Major Maxwell Mahama.

The maiden appearance of the accused persons follows their committal by an Accra Central District Court last month.

The court had said that there was compelling reason the accused persons had to be arraigned before the High Court to answer charges over the death of the soldier.

Hearing

In court yesterday, Ms. Evelyn Keelson, a Principal State Attorney told the Court the accused persons had been furnished with all the necessary documents for the case to start and urged the court to give the prosecution a two-week adjournment for the trial to start.

She said the court ought to give the accused persons a trial warrant because the accused persons currently only had a remand warrant, a request the trial judge, Justice Ms. Mariama Owusu granted.

George Bernard Shaw and Augustine Gyamfi, lawyers for the accused persons were in court.

Expectations

On March 5, the court is expected to empanel a jury to assist the court in the hearing of the matter.

They are a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict (a finding of fact on a question) officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment.

In the modern system, juries act as triers of fact, while judges act as triers of law.

Exhibits

According to the prosecution, the State had lined up 53 exhibits to firm its case against the accused persons.

These include pellets, empty cartridges, pictures from the crime scene, two guns partly burnt shirt, a cell phone belonging to the deceased, cement blocks, stick, metal bar, stones, 7 rounds of ammunition, 2 single barrel guns among others.

Meanwhile, George Bernard Shaw, lawyer for the accused persons says the defense has no objection to the exhibits.

He served notice that the defense “will be calling a couple of witnesses including the Diaso Police.”

Suspects

They are: William, Baah, the Assemblyman; aka Misty; Bernard Asamoah aka Daddy, drivers’ apprentice; Kofi Nyame aka Abortion, farmer; Akwasi Baah aka Baya, farmer; Kwame Tuffour aka Asowonan, driver; Joseph Appiah Kubi aka Kum Dede, driver and Michel Anim aka Nana Anim.

The others are: Bismarck Donkor aka Dada, farmer; John Bosie aka Abodie, driver’s apprentice; Akwasi Asante, farmer; Charles Quainin aka Kwesi Boah, vulcanizer; Emmanuel Baidoo, Bismarck Abanga and Kwadwo Animah, mason.

They were part of some 22 suspects, including a woman earlier arrested and charged over the gruesome murder of the 5 Battalion of Infantry Soldier on May 29, 2017.

They were provisionally charged with conspiracy to murder and murder.

Then Capt. Maxwell Mahama of the 5 Battalion of Infantry was lynched while he was on his early morning jogging Monday, May 29, 2017.

The fallen officer, whom many have described as decent and gentle, died on Monday, May 29, after he was beaten, stoned and burnt by residents of Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region.

Captain Maxwell Adam Mahama was posthumously promoted to the rank of Major on June 5, by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

By: Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson/ thePublisher