JB Danquah alleged killer's discharged

The two men linked to the murder of a former Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa-North, Mr J.B. Danquah-Adu, were Tuesday morning discharged by the Accra High Court following the filing of a Nolle prosequi by the Attorney General, Graphic Online's Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson reports from court.

Daniel Asiedu and Vincent Bosso, the two men who were standing trial in connection to the murder were to be subsequently set free by the court.

However according to our reporter, there were policemen stationed all over the court premises giving an indication that the two men will be re-arrested the moment they stepped out of the court room.

Daniel Asiedu and Vincent Bosso were still in the courtroom as of midday, although they erre now in reality free men

The filing of nolle prosequi meant the Attorney General wanted to discontinue with the prosecution.

Ebo Hawkson reported from the court that a Senior State Attorney, Ms Sefakor Batsa, told the court that based on section 54 of the criminal and other offences Act , 1960 (Act 30) the AG had filed a nolle prosequi not to continue with the prosecution.

When the two men last appeared at the Criminal Division of the Accra High Court two weeks ago, the case was adjourned for the empaneling of a jury for the trial.

A jury was expected to be constituted a week earlier, but the prosecution pleaded with the court for an adjournment to enable it to deal with certain issues.

The prosecutor told the court at its last sitting that there was a new development in the prosecution’s case which needed to be addressed.

She, however, did not inform the court about the new development then.

"Under the circumstances, we pray the court to grant an adjournment to enable us to deal with the new issues," she said.

Counsel for the two accused persons (Daniel Asiedu and Vincent Bosso), Mr Muniru Kassim, did not object to the prosecution's request last week.

Charges

Asiedu was facing three counts of murder, conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery, while Bosso had been charged with conspiracy to commit robbery.

The facts, as presented by the prosecution, are that on February 8, 2016, Asiedu and Bosso decided to embark on a robbery operation at Shiashie, a suburb of East Legon, where the MP resided.

Asiedu selected the MP’s house, but Bosso disagreed and decided to abandon the robbery operation.

About 11:40 p.m., the MP arrived home and went to bed in a room located on the first floor of his house.

About 1 a.m. that same night, Asiedu, armed with a catapult, a cutter and a sharp knife, went to the legislator’s house. He entered the house by scaling the wall on the blind side of a security man who was fast asleep.

On entering the house, Asiedu climbed onto a porch on the top floor with a ladder and entered the MP’s bedroom through a window.

While Asiedu was searching the room, the MP woke up and held him. There ensued a struggle, during which Asiedu stabbed the MP in the right chest above the breast. Asiedu also sustained various injuries in his palm and chest.

The legislator fell by his bed, bleeding profusely, after which Asiedu stabbed him several times on the right chest and neck.

On realising that the MP was dying, Asiedu left the room and took with him three iPhones.

Meanwhile, the struggle between the MP and Asiedu drew the attention of the security man in the house who alerted others in the neighbourhood.

Asiedu, however, managed to descend; he jumped over the electric fencing on the walls of the house into an adjoining house and escaped.

Asiedu then took the phones to a phone repairer to decode them, but the repairer saw bloodstains and the pictures of the MP on the phones and alerted the police.