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JB's murder trial
Daniel Asiedu

JB's murder trial starts; Prosecution calls first witness

The trial of Daniel Asiedu, the man accused of killing Mr J.B. Danquah-Adu, the then Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa-North, in 2016, commenced at the Accra High Court Monday, with the prosecution calling its first witness – Mr Samuel Berko Sarkodie, the driver of the late MP, to testify.

Asiedu is standing trial with Vincent Bosso, but the two have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery, while Asiedu has separately pleaded not guilty to murder and robbery.

Evidence-in-chief

Led by the prosecutor, Ms Sefakor Batse, a Senior State Attorney, the witness’s testimony to the court centred on the last day of the MP before he was supposedly killed.

Mr Sarkodie said on February 8, 2016, he went to pick Mr Danquah-Adu from his office at Dzorwulu to a factory in Tema, and then back to the office.

The MP, he said, worked in the office after which he went for a meeting at 8 p.m. before finally reaching home at 11:40 p.m.

The witness said after taking his boss home, he left for his house.

According to him, around 1:30 a.m. on February 9, 2016, he got a call from the MP’s house girl that armed robbers had attacked the house.

“When I asked her of the whereabouts of Mr Danquah-Adu, she started crying. I arrived at the house around 3:30 a.m, and met many people there. I was told the MP had been killed,” he said.

Cross-examination

During cross-examination, counsel for the accused persons, Mr Yaw Dankwa, asked the witness if he knew the rooms in the house, including the bedroom of the MP.

The witness answered in the negative, and said he had never entered the inside of the house, but only went for the car at the garage.

Excerpts of the cross examination

Counsel: Are you saying to this court that a man who entrusted his life to you by giving you his car keys to drive him for four years never invited you to his room, not even the living room?

Witness: He never invited me inside. When I worked with him, I had no business with him. I come there because of the driving, and my concern was always with the car.

The cross examination will continue today at the court presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo.

Murder

Mr Danquah-Adu was murdered at his residence at Shiashie, near Accra, on February 9, 2016.

It is the case of the prosecution that Asiedu and Bosso planned to go on a robbery spree, but Bosso decided not to engage in the robbery again and went home.

Asiedu, the prosecution said, went to Shiashie and picked the MP’s house as a place to rob.

The prosecution further said in the course of searching for items to steal, Asiedu’s noise woke the MP up.

According to the prosecution, a struggle ensued, leading to Asiedu stabbing the MP in the neck and chest and killing him in the process.

Writer’s email: emma.hawkson@

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