Three South Africa nex-police officers arrested for
training bodyguards and other personnel of New Patriotic Party (NPP)
leaders have been granted bail in the sum of GHC60,000.Major Ahmed Shaik Hazis (rtd), 54; Warrant Officer Denver Dwayhe, 33, and Captain Mlungiseli Jokani, 45, were each admitted to a GHC20,000-bail with a surety by an Accra Circuit Court after the Police prosecutors presented their case against them.
The three ex-cops, who were picked up at Agona Duakwa in the Central region for acts deemed as a threat to national security by the Bureau of National Investigations, pleaded not guilty to three counts of conspiracy to commit crime, unlawful training and making false declaration when they made their first appearance in court Thursday afternoon.
They were represented in court by a team of seven lawyers led by Elis Owusu-Fordjour and Samuel Ata Akyea.
The prosecution, led by Superintendent Francis Baah had wanted them to be remanded but the lawyers raised objections and made cogent legal arguments for their release on bail.
According to the prosecution, their investigation revealed "the accused persons filed disembarkation forms indicating that they were in Ghana to do business".
Lead counsel for the accused Ellis Owusu Fordjour, prayed the court to grant them bail since the facts did not support the charges being brought against his clients.
He argued that all the offences the suspects were accused of were misdemeanours and besides the accused persons gave voluntary statements and came into the country without lethal weapons for the training exercise.
He further indicated that the leader of the three, Chris Hazis, trained Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's bodyguards in 2012 and was in the country a month ago.
But Counsel Fordjour's assertion that his clients had no guns in their possession, was quickly rebutted by the prosecutor who disclosed his police training started without the use of guns.
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