The British High Commissioner to Ghana, Jon Benjamin, has urged Ghanaians not to rope in the family of the accused drug dealer, David McDermott, into the offense he’s believed to have committed.
Mr. Benjamin, who confirmed the arrest of the alleged British drug lord over the weekend, argued that the family of Mr. McDermott had nothing to do with the charges being brought against him.
The accused person has brought the name of the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Kofi Wampah, into disrepute, after it emerged that he’s been married to his step daughter, Ramona Wampah for the past three years.
[contextly_sidebar id=”IJK72VDQcU4WW3U9VQNHVSb2pY3z2Jgb”]David McDermott was on Monday arraigned and charged with the offense of dealing in prohibited drugs and extradition process is underway to send him back to the UK for his trial to commence.
The suspect is said to be a member of an organised crime syndicate from Liverpool and he has been on the run for three-years following his role in a plot to import £71 million worth of cocaine into the UK.
Pressure on BoG Boss over ties to accused
Dr. Wampah has issued a statement to deny knowledge of his son-in-law’s dealings saying, “until I received information about his arrest, I had absolutely no knowledge about David being a fugitive of the British government.”
A section of the public are of the view that Dr. Wampah’s ties to the accused drug dealer may force him to resign as the Bank of Ghana boss.
Offenses have nothing to do with accused’s family
But speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Benjamin said people should not associate the offenses of Mr. McDermott with his family.
“The case at hand here where we are requesting extradition has to do with the individual and the offenses he is alleged to have committed in the UK. They are not about his family.”
According to him, the circumstances of the accused person’s family have nothing to do with the case at hand.
“His family circumstances therefore are something that we may wish to raise in court but they are not central to the case here because the case pertains to him and not his family.”
Mr. Benjamin further reiterated that the request from the British government was for Mr. McDermott alone and not his family.
“What we have here is a request for extradition against an individual and not a request that pertains to his family or his relations. It’s not about them. This is a case that pertains to him,” he stressed.
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By Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana