Ahmed Suale murder trial: Court orders Police to file bill of indictment

Lawyers for the prime suspect in the murder of investigative journalist Ahmed Suale are calling for expedited proceedings in the case against their client.

They allege that the prosecution is deliberately causing delays to frustrate the court process.

The prosecution on Thursday, April 17, pleaded for more time to present documents that are to be transmitted to the Attorney General for advice before the trial can proceed.

Chief Inspector Nana Afua Bamfoa Bamfo also informed the court that the Accra High Court had denied bail to the accused.

Counsel for the former Tiger Eye P.I. journalist, led by Kwaku Osei Asare, expressed disappointment, telling the court they had hoped the prosecution would have filed their disclosures by now.

He argued that the longer the prosecution delayed in fulfilling its duties, the longer the accused would continue to languish on remand.

Presiding Judge Susan Nyarkotey criticised the prosecution for the delays and ordered that all documents be filed before the next adjourned date for committal proceedings to begin.

The case has since been adjourned to May 13.

Kofi Essel, one of the lawyers for Daniel Owusu Koranteng, lamented about the prosecution’s delays.

“From March 18 when they first arraigned him before court with their provisional charged sheet, which subsequently on April 2, they changed to two counts, as of today, they couldn’t come with any dossier ready for transmittal to the A-G to draw up the bill of indictment, nor anything towards the committal proceedings. There’s nothing,” Essel explained.

“When it comes to such indictable offences, we should speed it up because if you go to other jurisdictions, within a month or two, the trial is over. If the person is vindicated, he walks away a free man. If you only want to keep him, curtail his freedom, and you expedite the trial so you don’t waste the person’s time,” he added.

Daniel Owusu Koranteng was initially charged with one count of murder.

However, an amended charge sheet now includes an additional charge of abetment of crime.

The prosecution alleges that Daniel led two others, currently at large, into the home of Ahmed Suale days before his murder.

He is also facing a substantive charge of murder.

Source: 3news.com