A Criminal Court in Accra has adjourned to April 7 the third retrial of the murder case involving Gregory Afoko.

Mr Afoko is currently on GHS 500,000 bail after being held on remand at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison for nearly a decade, and Asabke Alangdi, is on death row.

Following a request from the prosecution, the court granted the adjournment and adopted the new date for the retrial, provided that the seven-member jury is properly constituted.

• Read also: Court finally grants Gregory Afoko GH¢500,000 bail

Gregory Afoko is standing trial for the May 2015 murder of former Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Adams Mahama, who died from acid burns after being attacked at the entrance of his Bolgatanga residence.

The deceased had reportedly identified Gregory Afoko and Asabke Alangdi as his attackers before succumbing to his injuries.

A seven-member jury, which unanimously convicted Asabke of conspiracy, acquitted Gregory Afoko of murder and conspiracy to commit murder after delivering a split verdict in April last year.

The Criminal Court, presided over by Justice Marie-Louise Simmons, is expected to commence a third retrial if all outstanding issues regarding jury composition are resolved in time for the next adjourned date.

Background

On February 24, an Accra High Court granted bail in the sum of GH¢500,000 to Gregory Afoko, the junior brother of Paul Afoko, for alleged conspiracy to commit murder.

He was alleged to have conspired with the convicted Asabke Alangdi to murder Adams Mahama, a former Upper East Regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party.

The bail sum must have two sureties, one of which must be justified.

Lawyers for Afoko filed a fresh bail application before the Accra High Court on February 17, 2025, the third time the accused was praying the court to grant him bail, after almost 10 years in jail.

Afoko, who was arrested in 2015, was accused of conspiring with others to assassinate Adams Mahama in a brutal acid attack outside his Bolgatanga home.

The trial commenced in 2019 and concluded in 2023. A jury on the trial, however, returned with a hung verdict on both counts of murder and conspiracy to commit murder against Gregory Afoko.

The court, thus, ordered a retrial for Afoko. He was re-arrested after the proceedings and denied bail.