The Accra Circuit Court has adjourned the case involving the former Member of Parliament for Nkoranza North, Eric Amoateng, who is being tried for possession of a forged travelling document.
The adjournment followed an appeal for postponement by the prosecution to enable it to retrieve Mr. Amoateng’s passport from the custody of the police on Monday.
The prosecutor, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DSP) Aidan Dery, told the court that the investigator was expected to be in court yesterday to identify the forged document used by Amoateng to travel from the United States of America to Ghana.
[contextly_sidebar id=”cyuN7gmVqcWGwXIxogEGyHDlNT0iyhJ0″]However, he said, the investigator had informed him that the passport has been left in the custody of his second-in-command at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at the Police Headquarters.
“The second-in-command is currently on outside duties,” Mr Dery told the court, presided over by Mrs Vivian Ellen Amoah.
The court, therefore, adjourned hearing to October 29, 2014.
The counsel of the accused, Mr Charles Pouzuing, prayed the court that the interest of justice would be served if the police endeavoured to retrieve his client’s alleged forged passport for trial to proceed.
Charge
Eric Amoateng, who recently completed serving a 10-year jail term in the USA on a drug-related offence, has pleaded not guilty to the charge of possessing a forged document and has been admitted to a GH¢200,000 bail with three sureties.
Background
According to the prosecution, Amoateng was, on December 11, 2005, arrested in the United States for possessing heroin valued at $6 million.
It said Amoateng was tried, convicted and subsequently sentenced to a 10-year prison term and was released on July 30, 2014.
About 2.20 p.m. on August 7, 2014, Amoateng arrived at the Kotoka International Airport and during his arrival formalities, he was found to be in possession of a Ghanaian passport with the number H02347080.
The passport, the prosecution said, was in the name of one Barbara Inkum and was issued on February 23, 2009 at a time when Amoateng was in prison in the USA.
The prosecution said analysis of the passport by the Document Fraud Office of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) showed that the passport was a forged one as its bio data page had been substituted.
Meanwhile, the people of both Nkoranza North and South in the Brong Ahafo Region on September 27 thronged the Nkoranza township to give embattled Eric Amoateng a rousing welcome when he was finally granted bail.
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Source: Graphic Online