OSEI WAS TESTED FOR COCAINE BECAUSE OF HIS DEMEANOUR--DR TELLS COURT

A MEDICAL officer with the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) stated that Thomas Osei, the man who ran his car into the President's car last year, was tested for substance abuse because of his demeanour after the incident.
According to Dr Nana Okae Brako, Osei was at the time very confused, nervous and talking to himself, saying “why me, why me”, and for that reason he was tested to either confirm that suspicion or otherwise.
Dr Brako said that Osei’s demeanour after the accident made him (Dr Brako) to become suspicious, since Osei had a little tremor (showing signs of trembling ) and not of himself.
He was testifying as a prosecution witness.
Osei was first arraigned before the Motor Court on November 16, 2007 and remanded.
He was discharged by the court on Thursday, December 20, 2007 after the prosecution had filed a nolle prosequi (unwilling to prosecute) but he was re-arrested when he stepped out of the court and put before the Fast Track High Court on six counts.
Osei now faces seven counts of use of narcotic drugs, dangerous driving, negligently causing harm, driving under the influence of alcohol, failing to give way to a Presidential convoy and failing to effect change of ownership of vehicle, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
Around 11.30 a.m. on November 14, 2007, Osei, who, was driving a Mercedes Benz SE 500 saloon car in the inner lane along the Liberation Link from the direction of Aviance towards the 37 Military Hospital, drove into the rear side of the President’s vehicle, in spite of the fact that other motorists had been stopped to allow the President’s convoy to pass.
The driver of the President’s car and the driver of a VW saloon car were treated and discharged, while Osei was admitted for treatment.
The President escaped unhurt.
Dr Brako told the court that on the day of the accident, he was called by the director of BNI to assist in a bleeding case and when he got there he saw Osei seated and bleeding from the left side of his eye and smelling of alcohol.
He said Osei was taken to the 37 Military Hospital where a certain Dr Gyan who was on duty at the time treated Osei after thoroughly examining him.
Dr Brako said because Osei was smelling of alcohol, he was voluntarily tested and 0.41 per cent of alcohol was found in Osei’s breath.
“Medically, around that time he was very confused and talking to himself saying ‘why me, why me’,” he said, and stated that the next day he followed up to see whether Osei was still in that state and realised that the condition of Osei was that of a withdrawal syndrome.
According to the witness, that could be the result of either the alcohol that Osei took or any substance abuse, therefore, he informed the BNI director that he wanted to test Osei for abusive substances because of his behaviour.
He said he asked for introductory letters which were taken to the Ghana Standards Board (GSB) and Medlab laboratories after he had taken blood samples from Osei for toxicology.
However, Dr Brako said when he got to Medlab, he was informed that the test he had required needed urine sample and not a blood sample, which made him to call back the BNI director for approval.
He said he also enquired where he could locate Osei and he was taken to the house of Osei from where the urine sample was taken and sent to the Medlab laboratory where it was confirmed Osei tested positive for cocaine.
During cross-examination by Mr Kwame Boafo Akuffo, counsel for Osei, the witness said Osei told him that the cut he sustained above his left eye was as a result of assault by some officials after the accident.
Asked whether he took the temperature of the urine sample, Dr Brako replied in the negative and stated that he was aware that the urine temperature determined whether it was old or new urine.
He disagreed that in the absence of a temperature it would be difficult to say whether the urine sample belonged to Osei or not.
Dr Brako reiterated that the substance abuse test was done to confirm the suspicion that Osei was either nervous or had abused some substances.
According to him, after taking the urine sample, he put it in his own car and drove to the Medlab laboratory while Osei sat in another car but he (the doctor) did not tamper with it in anyway.
He said the content of cocaine found in the urine sample could not be quantified because the test was qualitative and agreed with counsel that there had been occasions that people had laced Akpeteshie with some substances such as Indian Hemp to sell as bitters.
The witness, however, said he was unaware that when cocaine was taken and a test was conducted on the user the result would be anything else but same cocaine.