Kasoa Cops Murder: Lack Of Jury Forces Adjournment a third time
An Accra High Court has been compelled to adjourn the case involving the murder to two cops at Kasoa for a third time due to the lack of a jury.
Justice El-Freda Denkyi has bemoaned delay in commencement of the trial of Eric Kojo Duah, the accused person for the incident at Kasoa in August 2019.
When the case was called on Thursday, July 1, 2021, Justice Denkyi said, “the Court is having challenges in getting the jurors present in court to be empanelled.”
The case has been adjourned to July 15, 2021, hoping that there would be enough jurors for the panel to be constituted on that day.
Lawyers of the accused person said they had filed an application for bail, but the prosecution said it had not been served.
The challenge in constituting a jury panel was cited by Justice Denkyi when she adjourned the case on May 2 and June 16, 2021, respectively.
Eric Kojo Duah, the main suspect, is believed to have engaged the police in a gun battle at Big Apple, near Budumburam in the Central Region two years ago, leading to the death of Sergeant Michael Dzamasi and Lance Corporal Awal Mohammed.
Both were officers of the Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) of the Kasoa Divisional Police.
The accused person has been charged with two counts of murder and has since been remanded into lawful custody.
Background
On August 28, 2019, the officers received a tip-off concerning an unregistered vehicle. The police signalled the occupants of the unregistered vehicle to stop, but the driver refused and sped off.
Sgt Dzamasi and Lance Corporal Awal gave the Toyota Camry saloon car a hot chase using a Toyota Camry police service car with registration number GP 3632.
In the course of the pursuit, the unregistered vehicle is said to have stopped, and three suspects fired at the police, killing Sgt Dzamasi instantly with five shots to his head.
Lance Corporal Awal died later at the hospital.
The occupants, who sped off later, abandoned the unregistered vehicle at Krokrobite on the outskirts of Accra.
A search conducted showed a Ruger pistol with registration number 343-61265, bearing the name Eric Kojo Duah, leading to his arrest.
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Attorney-General’s advice
The Attorney-General last year advised the Police to formally charge Eric Kojo Duah, who is alleged to have shot and killed two officers on the Kasoa-Budumburam-Aprah stretch in August 2019, with murder.
This was after the prosecution, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police Sylvester Asare, told the District Court presided over by Ms Rosemond Dodua Agyiri that it had received such instruction from the Attorney-General’s Department.