Delta Force Case: Government says it did not approve any decision to drop charges against the 8 accused members of the vigilante group.
The release of the detained Delta force members has stirred controversy among government stakeholders. The latest development on the just concluded case is that government has denied that it sanctioned a decision to drop charges against the members of the pro-NPP vigilante group, who were standing trial for storming a magistrate court to free their members in lawful custody.
The Attorney General on May 17, 2017, dropped the Delta Force case involving eight members of the vigilante group. The eight members were charged for allegedly facilitating the escape of 13 of their members from the Kumasi Circuit Court, on April 6, when the latter were standing trial for an attack on the Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator.
The court presided over by Patricia Amponsah was compelled to discharge the accused persons and dismiss the case of the Delta Force members after the prosecutor said she had instructions from the Attorney General, Gloria Akuffo, to drop the charges against them.
The principal attorney said there wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute the suspects. A video footage had emerged with more details as to what happened, but according to the Attorney, the evidence was not enough hence the decision to drop charges.
Information is rife that the Principal State Attorney in the case did not consult the AG before dropping the charges against the accused. This was also contained in a statement by the ministry of Information. The information ministry said the decision by the State attorney was taken on the prosecutor’s own accord. For this reason, the ministry says it was further investigating the matter and will take the necessary actions to remedy the situation.
The Delta Force case started on March 24, 2017, when about 200 members of the group affiliated with the ruling NPP, stormed the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council with the intention of ousting the Ashanti Regional Security coordinator, George Adjei. The group cited that he was not a native of the region and was also, not part of the struggle to actualize a Nana Addo presidency before the elections in 2016.
Following attempts to mediate between stakeholders, the group had apologized to President Nana Akufo-Addo who also summoned the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP for questioning.
However, during a court hearing of 13 members of the group who were detained in connection with the previous raid at the Ashanti regional Security’s office, more Delta Force members stormed the court, to rescue the latter amid police altercations.
These Delta Force developments have been cited by oppositions, as attributes of poor governance on the part of the NPP government. This is due to the irony that the ‘troublesome’ Delta Force vigilante group is affiliated with the NPP -the ruling government which is expected to ensure the security of ots officials and Ghanaians at large.
Meanwhile, the lawyer for the 8 Delta Force members, Matthew Appiah has expressed excitement over the AG’s decision to drop charges against his clients. Though he expressed some level of surprise over the sudden turn out of events, he remained grateful to the AG.
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