In a groundbreaking ruling, the High Court has handed down convictions to six individuals accused of conspiring to commit high treason and committing high treason in Ghana.
Notably, Assistant Commissioner of Police Benjamin Agordzo, Colonel Samuel Kodzo Gameli, and one junior military officer, Corporal Seidu Abubakar, were acquitted of all charges.
The court sentenced the six convicted coup plotters, including Donya Kafui (aka Ezor), a blacksmith, and Bright Alan Debrah Ofosu, a fleet manager, to death by hanging. The trio, Johannes Zikpi (a civilian employee of the Ghana Armed Forces) and three soldiers – Warrant Officer II Esther Saan Dekuwine, Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, and Corporal Sylvester Akanpewon, were found guilty of various charges related to treason.
The verdict, delivered on Wednesday, follows a lengthy legal process initiated on April 24, 2021. Dr. Frederick Yao Mac-Palm, the late CEO of Citadel Hospital, and ACP Dr. Agordzo, alongside eight others, were charged with conspiracy to high treason, abetment to high treason, and high treason.
The accused, including the deceased Dr. Mac Palm, pleaded not guilty to the charges. The court’s decision, which came after the parties submitted written arguments on November 22, 2023, marks a significant moment in Ghana’s legal history.
Lawyer Martin Kpebu has emphatically stated that the state will be sued for malicious prosecution and compensation and many other Ghanaians have raised eyebrows regarding the developing story.
