Police Detective Inspector Solomon Okyere, Fourth Court Witness, in the mini trial of 14 alleged murderers of Major Maxwell Mahama, says Michael Anim, an accused person, gave his statement voluntarily.
“I explained to the accused person that he was entitled to a lawyer and then he offered to give a statement voluntarily in the Twi Language, which l translated into the English Language,” he said.
Police Detective Inspector Okyere giving his evidence led by Madam Frances Mullen Asare, a Chief State Attorney, said he invited an independent witness to be present before the statement was taken, after which the statement was read and translated into the Twi Language for the accused person.
He said the accused then thumb printed seven times with the witness and himself signing for seven and eight times, respectively.
The Court Witness said the atmosphere was conducive and calm when he took the statement from the accused person and Michael was relaxed himself.
He said together with the Station Officer, they interrogated the accused person, where the accused person said he was in town when the said incidence happened on that fateful day.The witness said it was the Assemblyman, William Baah, who said he had heard that an alleged armed robber was in town, so they should assist to effect his arrest.
He told the court that the accused said when he got to the street, a car had kicked town the alleged armed robber and people were assaulting him.
The witness indicated that the accused said he also joined without asking any question.
Detective Inspector Okyere said the accused told him that he also hit the deceased with a cement block and in the process Major Maxwell Mahama told him that he was not an armed robber but rather a soldier, so he stopped.
The witness said he read the caution statement from the accused person in the Twi Language in the presence of an independent witness in the person of Mohammed Hamidu.
He said the atmosphere was conducive and calm, while he took the statement and the accused person was relaxed.
In a cross-examination by Augustine Gyamfi, the Counsel for Anim, asked the witness whether he wrote the statement in his handwriting and the witness answered in the affirmative and said the statement was taken on June 3, 2017.
He told the Court that the statement was taken the same day the accused person was arrested and he was by the Anti-Armed Robbery Squad of the Kumasi Central Police Station. The witness said it was not true that the accused person was beaten up but the Counsel disagreed with him, pointing to the witness that the accused person was sent to the Hospital before the statement was taken, which the Detective agreed.
On why the accused was sent to the hospital, the witness said he was complaining of dizziness but the accused never collapsed in his presence.
The Counsel accused the Police of collecting money from Anim but the witness disagreed, saying he was not aware.
Fourteen persons are standing trial at an Accra High Court over the killing of Major Mahama, who was an officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion, at Burma Camp.
The late Major was on duty at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region when on May 29, 2017, some residents allegedly lynched him.
The mob had ignored his persistent plea that he was an officer of the Ghana Armed Forces.
The accused are: William Baah, the Assembly member of Denkyira Obuasi, Bernard Asamoah alias Daddy, Kofi Nyame a.k.a Abortion, Akwasi Boah, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi, Michael Anim and Bismarck Donkor.
Others are John Bosie, Akwasi Baah, Charles Kwaning, Emmanuel Badu, Bismarck Abanga and Kwadwo Anima.The trial was adjourned to June 21, 2021.
