UNIVERSITY DON TESTIFIES IN COKE TRIAL

A SENIOR Lecturer at the Department of Linguistics of the University of Ghana, Dr Kofi Agyekum, has denied that the report presented by J. P. French and Associates, United Kingdom (UK)-based forensic consultants, on the recorded conversation on the missing 77 parcels of cocaine which took place in ACP Kofi Boakye’s residence had been produced to suit the Attorney-General.
“As a scientific and professional study it was independent, objective and impartial and does not owe any duty to anybody, apart from the court,” he stated, and added that they had gone about the transcript in an objective manner, without looking at the personalities involved.
Dr Agyekum was testifying for the prosecution as a member of the consultants who had worked on the recorded conversation which has led to the trial at the Accra Fast Track High Court of Kwabena Amaning, alias Tagor, and Alhaji Issah Abass for their roles in the missing cocaine.
Tagor is facing four counts of conspiracy, engaging in prohibited business related to narcotic drugs, buying of narcotic drugs and supplying narcotic drugs, while Alhaji Issah Abass faces two counts of conspiracy and supply of narcotic drugs.
They have pleaded not guilty to all the counts and have been refused bail by the court.
Kwabena Acheampong, Kwabena Amaning (Tagor), Alhaji Issah Abass, Victor Kisseh, alias Yaw Billah, and Alhaji Moro Mohammed were earlier arraigned at the circuit court for allegedly dealing in narcotic drugs but the prosecution, on Wednesday, November 22, 2006, entered a nolle prosequi, resulting in their discharge.
However, fresh charges were preferred against Tagor and Abass, leading to their appearance at the Fast Track High Court.
Dr Agyekum, also called Opanin Agyekum, who had an intellectual grip on the issue and treated the evidence as if he was delivering a lecture, said he was a linguist, with speciality in Akan, and also a social commentator who featured in Akan radio programmes on Radio Univers and Peace FM, both Accra-based FM stations.
He said he was contacted by the Attorney-General, Mr Joe Ghartey, on October 21, 2007 and asked to assist the consultants with the Akan linguistic aspect of the recorded conversation.
According to Dr Agyekum, the team was tasked to find out how authentic the recording was, the voice profile of the participants, make a voice attribution and transcription and translate the conversation from Twi to English.
Following that, he said, he travelled to the UK to assist the consultants, saying that during the voice profiling, it was realised that the participants used both Twi and English; Abass, who was a non Asante speaker, used both Fanti and Twi, while the other participants used Twi.
He said the voice attribution was done by comparing the known voices of the participants to those of the recorded conversation on a compact disc (CD).
Regarding the authenticity of the conversation, the witness said it was found to be natural and that in the consultants’ analyses, the conversations in Twi were translated into English, while those in English were left untouched.
During cross-examination by the defence lawyers, Dr Agyekum said as a social commentator, there was the likelihood that the issue of the Georgina Wood Committee on cocaine had been discussed by him but he was not in a position to say when that had happened.
He also said that he was unaware of the motive for which the conversation was recorded or who recorded it.