Anas Aremeyaw Anas's cocoa smuggling investigation - 3 acquitted, 11 to open defence
The court upheld a submission of no case from counsel for the three acquitted persons, Mr Frank Yankey.
According to Mr Yankey, the documentary by an investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, was doctored and, therefore, cannot be used as evidence to prosecute the three.
According to counsel, in the unedited version, his clients were not seen but were seen in the main documentary.
The 14 security officers, were allegedly captured in a secret video
recording by Anas Aremeyaw Anas, a journalist, aiding a group of people to
smuggle cocoa beans from Ghana to La Cote D'Ivoire in 2010.
The 11 persons, who were ordered to open their defense were Gabriel
Dimado, William Festus Yawson, Steven Sowah, Prosper Edze, Nii Armah Adolf,
James Dzamesi, Paul Dzamesi, all CEPS collection assistants, two police
constables, Samuel Kwasi Ekpeagba and J.K Boakye.
The rest are two immigration officers, Mate-Korle and Kofiabley Frederick
According to the facts, Anas of the New Crusading Guide, received information
that some security officials at the Western frontier of the Ghana-Cote d'Ivoire
border were taking money to assist people smuggle dried cocoa beans from Ghana
to Cote d'Ivoire.
Based on the said information, the journalist conducted an initial
investigation and captured his findings on video.
Story by Mabel Aku Baneseh
