KOJO's DIARY

KOJO's DIARY
THE two Chinese facing trial alongside four others in the MV Benjamin cocaine case at the Accra Fast Track High Court now have a counsel to represent them.
The counsel, Mr Solomon Korli, announced his presence in court yesterday when it was the turn of Isaac Arhin and Bruce Arhin, two of the accused persons, to cross-examine a prosecution witness, Mr Kingsley Inkum.
The plight of the two Chinese, namely, Cui Xian Li and Luo Yin Xing, came to the fore during the court’s sitting on January 16, 2007 when the judge and defence counsel expressed reservations about how the inability of the two accused persons to engage the services of lawyers to represent them was impacting on the speedy disposal of the case.
The rest of the accused persons are the vessel owner, Joseph Kojo Dawson, and Pak Bok Sil, a Korean.
All six accused persons are alleged to have played various roles leading to the importation of 77 parcels of cocaine, each weighing 30 kilogrammes, into the country.
They have been charged with various counts of using property for narcotic offences, engaging in prohibited business relating to narcotics and possession of narcotic drugs without lawful authority.
Each of them has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The facts of the case are that Dawson, who has been charged with one count of use of property for narcotic offences, was alleged to have allowed Asem Darkeh, alias Sheriff, who is on the run, to use his vessel to import the 77 parcels of cocaine on February 6, 2006, while Sil, an engineer, was alleged to have, from December 15, 2005 to February 2006, repaired the vessel in readiness for sail from Takoradi to the high seas to convey 77 parcels of cocaine.
Isaac, a sailor, Philip, a mechanic, Li, a vessel engineer, and Xing, a sailor, were alleged to have, between February 27, 2006 and April 27, 2006, worked on the vessel as members of its crew and sailed from Takoradi to the high seas to convey the 77 parcels of cocaine to Tema.
The four were also alleged to have had in their possession, without lawful authority, one parcel of cocaine containing 30 slabs, with each slab weighing one kilogramme.
During cross-examination by Mr Korli, who stood in for Mr Osei Owusu, counsel for the Arhin brothers, Mr Inkum said Isaac had been his very good friend, having met him 15 years ago.
The hearing was adjourned to January 29, 2007.
In a related development, the Accra Fast Track High Court trying Prince Tsibu Darko, the Tema-based businessman accused of exporting 3,700 kilogrammes of cocaine to Europe, adjourned the case to February 27, 2007.
The prosecution asked for the adjournment because it was wrapping up its investigations into the matter.
According to the prosecution, investigations were still going on, while it was working on some leads it had received.
The court, presided over by Mr Justice J. Dotse, an Appeal Court judge sitting with additional responsibility as a High Court judge, has granted the accused person a ¢1 billion bail with two sureties to be justified.
It, however, ordered the accused person to surrender his passport and any travel document to the registrar of the court before the execution of the bail and also report himself to the police investigator at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters of the Ghana Police Service every Wednesday until otherwise directed.
Darko is facing one count of engaging in business related to narcotic drugs and, according to the facts of the case, in the middle of 2005 he allegedly exported 3,700 kilogrammes of cocaine to Europe without lawful authority.
Darko was first remanded by the Fast Track Court on November 23, 2006, almost 72 hours after another High Court, presided over by Mr Justice Anthony Abada, had granted him bail in the sum of ¢5 billion with two sureties.
The High Court, on November 20, 2006, granted the accused person bail after his counsel had made an application to that effect but the prosecution had earlier that day entered a nolle prosequi at the circuit court, resulting in the discharge of the accused person.
He was, however, not released on bail because the prosecution preferred fresh charges against him after entering the nolle prosequi at the circuit court.