[ 2017-10-11 ]

Police accused in Delta Force 13 case
A Senior Lecturer at the University of Education,
Winneba, Dr. Ahmed Jinapor, has described the
change of charges against the thirteen Delta Force
members as a “charade”.

The educationist said “this charge is a charade
and it is an indictment on the Ghana Police
Service in general”.

Dr. Jinapor was contributing to discussions on
TV3’s New Day on Wednesday on the new charge
leveled against the 13 ‘Delta Force’ members.

The previous charges have been dropped for a new
one of rioting. The thirteen were arrested after
they stormed the Ashanti Regional Coordinating
Council in protest of the appointment of the
Regional Security Coordinator.

During a court session in April this year, the 13
were ‘set free’ by their colleagues who
stormed the court and disrupted proceedings. But
the suspects later turned themselves in.

They were initially charged by the police for
assault on a public officer but that was dropped.
The Attorney-General withdrew that suit,
Prosecutor ACP Okyere Darko told the court on
Tuesday during hearing, and substituted it with
rioting.

The Senior Lecturer explained that “what they
did was not rioting.

It was not simple as rioting and the fact is
these charges were not preferred by the President.
They were preferred by the police”.

Dr. Jinapor noted that “when people do the wrong
things, they need to be punished to serve as
deterrent to others”.

The Member of Parliament for Tamale North
Constituency in the Northern Region, Alhassan
Sayibu Suhuyini, warned that Ghana is gradually
developing into a rebel state.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP said
“we should all be concern because other
countries that have rebels today did not fall from
heaven. They did not fall from hell”. “It was
as a result of some things that were taken for
granted.

It is not surprising because if you follow this
other related cases, you will understand that
there is simply no willingness from the government
to prosecute the case,” the MP explained.

He added: “Rioting is a minor crime compared to
the case of assault on a public officer but there
is no willingness in ensuring justice in this
matter”.

The NDC legislator noted that “the state
handlers must put the interest and the security of
this nation paramount instead of placating people
they think worked for them”.

“The fact that they work for them does not
change the fact that there could be darkness in
Ghana due to their actions,” Alhaji Suhuyini
added.

The former Member of Parliament for Bantama
Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Dr. Henry
Kwabena Kokofu, said if a prosecutor finds a
charge inappropriate in a case, he/she can change
the charge sheet.

Lawyer Kokofu added that it is only a prosecutor
who can change a charge against a suspect so in
this case, they thought of it and realized the
earlier charges had not merit.

Source - 3news.com

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