Strike by state attorneys affects trial of cops - accused of killing bullion van driver
The indefinite strike by the Association of State Attorneys (ASA) is having a negative toll on the case in which two policemen have been accused of killing the driver of a bullion van at Maame Krobo in the Kwahu Afram Plains South District in the Eastern Region.
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The prosecution has forwarded the docket of the case to the Attorney General’s (A-G’s) Department for advice and further direction, but due to the strike, the department is yet to give its advice.
At the hearing yesterday, the Accra Central District Court, presided over by Mr Stephen Owusu, adjourned the case to December 28, 2016.
Charge
Corporal Solomon Elvis Mensah, Lance Corporal Daniel Kissi Abrokwah and Hafisu Muhammad, a taxi driver, are also alleged to have injured the policeman escorting the bullion van.
The three have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, while the two policemen are separately charged with murder and attempted robbery.
Facts
The facts of the case, as presented by the prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Abraham Annor, were that the bullion van belonging to the GCB Bank normally visited Donkorkrom to supply money to the branch of the bank there.
On August 16, 2016, he said Corporal Mensah and Lance Corporal Abrokwah, who were stationed at the GN Bank and the GCB Bank, respectively, decided to rob the van of the money it was carrying.
“This plan was discussed with Muhammad, a taxi driver and mechanic who is a friend of the two. Hafisu drove his taxi towards Ekye Amanfrom to monitor the arrival of the van,” he said.
According to the prosecutor, the two policemen, armed with AK 47 assault rifles, waylaid the van.
“About 20 minutes later, Hafisu signalled the policemen and on seeing the bullion van, they opened fire, killing the driver of the van. A police guard on board the van got injured but he managed to return fire, compelling the two policemen to flee into the bush,” DSP Annor explained.
The prosecutor added that the two policemen called Hafisu, who picked them up in a bid to escape.
“Information about the incident got to the police at Donkorkrom and they mobilised men who managed to arrest the three persons,’’ he said.
ASA strike
The lawyers for the state embarked on the strike on October 20, 2016 after serving a seven-day ultimatum to state agencies to resolve their call for improved conditions of service.
In a notice to embark on a legal strike, dated October 6, 2016, the National President of the association, Mrs Francisca Tete-Mensah, said although the National Labour Commission (NLC) on September 28, 2015, directed the implementation of improved conditions of service of ASA members, that order had not been obeyed.
It said the association was taking a serious view of the refusal of the respondents to comply with the NLC’s directives, which to them were supposed to be binding on all members.
In an interview yesterday, Mrs Tete-Mensah confirmed that the strike was still in full force.
According to her, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Marietta Brew-Opong, had refused to pay heed to the demands of the striking lawyers.
“We are stretching our hands to reach her in negotiations but she is refusing to meet us,’’ she said.
