Jurors in the murder trial of Gregory Afoko and Asake Alange this week could not reach a unanimous 7-0 verdict as expected by law.
The jurors, however, convicted Asake, the Co-accused of Afoko on the charge of Conspiracy to commit murder and he is to face death by hanging. Afoko is to be re-tried.https://www.myjoyonline.com/family-of-late-adams-mahama-disappointed-by-gregory-afoko-verdict/
Osagyefo Barker Vermewor however shares some perspectives on the matter….
Mr. Afoko who is the brother of former NPP Chairman Paul Afoko, has for the past eight years been standing trial over the murder of Adams Mahama, former NPP Upper East regional chairman.
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Afoko was granted bail. The AG appealed it to a sympathetic judge, the bail was reversed.
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Then he was tried for 4 years; when the AG realized he would lose; he told the judge that he wants to withdraw the case. As soon as Afoko was released, he was immediately re-arrested in front of the Court and charged with the same offence.
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Then he was tried again for the second time. Another 4 years. The AG lost the case (again). Afoko won by 4-3 majority.
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AG says because Afoko didn’t win by 7-0, he will try him again. Despite the AG suggesting that he is bound by law to retry Afoko, ignore his childish inability to take responsibility for his own decisions. No law compels a person to be retried. Prosecutions and retrials are always at the discretion of the AG.
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No one in our history has ever been tried 3 times for the same murder. I am sure this time, they will bring people from Kyebi, maybe those doing the Galamsey in the President’s garden to be on the jury, so they can secure that guilty verdict once and for all.https://mypublisher24.com/a-g-reacts-to-afoko-asabke-alangdi-judgement/
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Whatever Paul Afoko did to Nana Addo for him to take it on his brother must be really serious. But this is exactly what our democracy was supposed to protect us against. Democracies do not countenance Persecutions. Sadly our electoral dictatorship thrives on with judicial connivance.
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Unfortunately, criminal conspiracy by the crooks that run this town has destroyed the basic morality of law in this town and undermined just aspirations of citizens to the rule of law.
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In democracies, Afoko would have been a cause Celebre for pro democracy activists. 1000’s of people will be picketing at the Attorney Generals office now. Why? Not because they were promised kenkey. But because they recognize that when law fails to protect 1, it fails to protect us all.
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Through Afoko, the moral ineptitude of our Minister of Justice is so plain.
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I pray very much for Godfred Dame that in the long life he has ahead when they lose power; that he meets an Attorney-General who wields the empathy he currently lacks; and the maturity to not to abuse power the way he seems unable to control.
