Audio, video recordings of Wuako C’ssion found

The prosecution in the Ya-Na murder case yesterday told the Fast Track High Court that it had found the audio and video recordings of the Wuaku Commission’s proceedings.

A Chief State Attorney, Mr Rexford Wiredu, told the court that an employee of the Attorney-General’s Department made the tapes available following an advertisement asking those in possession of the tapes to submit them.

The defence in the case had submitted printed proceedings of the Wuaku Commission in evidence to the court and requested the prosecution to make the audio and video recordings available in court.

The prosecution said it did not have the tapes, hence its decision to put out the advertisement for people to make them available.

Mr Wiredu said he had listened to four of the tapes and that the contents were the same as those in the printed proceedings of the Wuaku Commission.

The tapes were not tendered in evidence because the contents were the same as those in the transcripts.

Counsel for the accused, Atta Akyea, commended the prosecution for bringing out the tapes.

Fifteen people are standing trial for playing various roles resulting in the murder of the Ya-Na. They are Iddrisu Iddi, alias Mbadugu; Alhaji Baba Abdulai, alias Zohe; Kwame Alhassan, alias Achiri; Mohammed Abdulai, alias Samasama; Sayibu Mohammed; Alhassan Braima and Zakaria Yakubu, alias Zakaria Forest, who is currently on the run.

The rest are Mohammed Habib Tijani, the former District Chief Executive of Yendi; Baba Ibrahim, alias Baba Zey; Alhassan Mohammed,
alias Mohammed Cheampon; Mohammed Mustapha; Shani Imoro; Yakubu Yusif, alias Leftee; Hammed Abukari Yussif and Abdul Razak Yussif, alias Nyaa Dagbani.

All the accused persons, except Zakaria Yakubu, have been charged with conspiracy to murder and have pleaded not guilty to the charge. Zakaria has been charged with murder.

The prosecution could not produce the two prosecution witnesses and the trial judge, Mr Justice E. K. Ayebi, adjourned the case to October 27, 2010.

Mr Ayebi asked the prosecution to facilitate the coming of the witnesses to court in order not to curtail the right of the accused persons.

Atta Akyea expressed worry at the delay in producing witnesses, but Mr Wiredu indicated that his outfit was not causing the delay and that it was doing all that it could to produce the witnesses.

Source: Daily Graphic