Release phones of Shatta Wale, others - Court orders prosecution
The Accra Circuit Court hearing the publication of false news case against dancehall artiste, Charles Nii Armah Mensah popularly known as Shatta Wale and three others, has ordered the prosecution to release the accused persons mobile phones to them.
This comes after a heated clash between counsel for the accused persons, Mr Jerry Avernogbo and the prosecutor, Chief Inspector C/Insp Dennis Terkpetey over the mobile phones.
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Charges
Shatta Wale is facing charges of publication of false news while his accomplices, Kojo Owusu Koranteng, also known as Nana Dope, Eric Venator, aka Gangee and Iddriss Yussif are facing the court for being accessories of the alleged crime committed by the Dancehall artiste.
When the case was called at the Circuit Court today, the prosecutor told the court that investigations were still ongoing and that the police was pursuing one more person in relation to the crime.
However, counsel for the accused person notified the court that his clients confiscated belongings were still in police custody.
He prayed the court, presided over by Mr Emmanuel Essandoh, to order the prosecution to release the mobile phones.
Counsel argued that the offences for which his clients were in court could be accessed by the police on social media hence there was no need for the police to confiscate their mobile phones.
Counsel further argued that his clients depended on mobile phones for survival, hence keeping the phone was an infringement of the rights of the accused persons.
However, C/Insp. Terkpetey opposed the application arguing that the prosecution needed the accused persons phones for further investigation.
“The mobile phone is very material to our case,” he said.
That argument by the prosecution was also opposed by counsel.
“The charge before the court here today is a chat that was visualised on social media which is accessible and depriving these people a right to survival is more like telling them to go and die.
“Everything is on social media and attempting to go into the phone might access things that are very private which is not before the court,” Mr Avernogbo added.
Court orders
The presiding judge, in his ruling, said: “The alleged offences are known on social media there and it is also known that there’s privilege access to information.
"The mobile phones of the accused persons must be released, the prosecution can retrieve the alleged offences on social media,” Mr Essandoh ruled.
The judge adjourned the case to December 7 this year.
Medikal
Meanwhile, in the same court, when the case of Ghanaian rapper, Samuel Adu Frimpong, aka Medikal, was called, the same prosecutor, prayed the court to adjourn the case.
The court adjourned the display of arm and ammunition case against the raper to December 7.