The British High Commissioner to Ghana has said he respects the Attorney General\u2019s decision to discontinue the case involving Alhaji Dawood and six others accused of allegedly aiding Nayele Ametefe to transport 12 kilograms of cocaine into the United Kingdom (UK).<\/p>\n
The court acquitted and discharged all six persons<\/strong><\/span><\/a>\u00a0after state prosecutors filed a nolle prosequi, stating their decision to discontinue the case.<\/p>\n [contextly_sidebar id=”0kaXZ2AXwE0XVa7ateRe1IAZo5goY0wI”]Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show<\/strong>, \u00a0Jon Benjamin said the court\u2019s verdict is : \u201centirely a sovereign decision of the Ghana Justice system\u201d and the British High Commission \u201crespects\u201d that.<\/p>\n He believes state prosecutors might have had \u201c sufficient evidence\u201d to take such a bold step.<\/p>\n The six persons including the then person in charge of the VIP lounge at the Kotoka International Airport VIP were picked up moments<\/strong><\/span><\/a> after news broke that Nayele transported the cocaine through the airport.<\/p>\n Days after their arrest the BNI with the assistance of some state security officials, took the accused through a simulation exercise at the airport to re-enact how<\/strong><\/span><\/a> they got the drugs out.<\/p>\n They were subsequently charged and placed before the courts.The state however announced a withdrawal of the case after \u00a0several adjournments aimed at allowing the prosecution to duly investigate the matter.<\/p>\n Nayele Ametefe has \u00a0subsequently been\u00a0\u00a0sentenced to 8 years, 8 months<\/span> <\/a>imprisonment in the UK.<\/p>\n Ghana\u2019s economy\u00a0promising<\/strong><\/p>\n Mr. Benjamin who has been in the country for nine months also shared views about the economy saying it is still promising despite the current economic challenges.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the long term I think it is still promising, Ghana has huge potential, it has new oil discoveries coming on stream. Despite the economic difficulties, it is still growing\u2026in the long term, I think the future and the potential is still bright,\u201d the UK High Commissioner said.<\/p>\n Some economists\u00a0believe the Ghana\u2019s economy is struggling due to the structures created by British and other Western colonialists.<\/p>\n Jon Benjamin therefore advised Ghanaians \u201c not to be overly obsessed by Ghana\u2019s history\u201d but rather focus on Ghana\u2019s future prospects.<\/p>\n Benjamin further asked major industry players in Ghana to \u201cdiversify the market and add value to raw materials.\u201d<\/p>\n He \u00a0revealed that the British Commission will be holding forums with government to add value to Ghanaian raw materials.<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n By: Marian Efe Ansah\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
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