‘I can only remain a journalist,’ distraught Anas tells police
Ace journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas is unhappy with the feet-dragging of the police that led to a court discharging some 14 security personnel indicted for smuggling cocoa.
The accused persons were interdicted and arraigned before court with a provisional charge of abetment of the crime of unlawful exportation of cocoa after they were captured on video in an investigative piece by Anas.
But the case was thrown out on Monday by a Circuit Court in what the judge, Patience Mills Tetteh, said was a lack of interest by the prosecution.
The journalist whose effort led to the unraveling of this smuggling syndicate said he has done what he is expected to do as a journalist in the fight against corruption, but the police in this case seem to be doing very little in that regard.
“We all play complimentary roles in the fight against corruption. I can only remain a journalist by [gathering] all the evidence and giving it to the prosecuting authority to go ahead with the prosecution,” he told Joy FM’s Kojo Oppong Nkrumah on Tuesday.
According to him “none of the evidence he made available to the police has been tended before the court of law and that is intriguing.”
He said the judge is right in throwing out the case because she can only make decisions based on the facts available to her and if the police are not forthcoming with the evidence, the judge has very little to do.
Anas refused to accept the notion that the evidence he tended in to the police was perhaps not comprehensive enough to win the prosecution’s case.
“What is more evidence than seeing the man taking the money”...“This is being caught in the act,” he emphasized.
He would not however accuse the police for covering up for their own, especially when he has no evidence to support that, except to say that “we ought to open our eyes.”
The police administration says they are unable to prosecute the case because the AG’s office is yet to advise on the case.
According to Kwesi Ofori, Director of Police Public Relations, the docket has been sent to the AG’s department and that the police were still waiting for clearance for the prosecution to start.
He said even though the accused persons have been discharged, they will again be hauled before court if the AG’s office takes a decision on the issue.
Attempts by Myjoyonline.com to get a response from the Attorney General, Betty Mould Iddrisu proved futile. She was said to be in a meeting.
source: myjoyonline
The accused persons were interdicted and arraigned before court with a provisional charge of abetment of the crime of unlawful exportation of cocoa after they were captured on video in an investigative piece by Anas.
But the case was thrown out on Monday by a Circuit Court in what the judge, Patience Mills Tetteh, said was a lack of interest by the prosecution.
The journalist whose effort led to the unraveling of this smuggling syndicate said he has done what he is expected to do as a journalist in the fight against corruption, but the police in this case seem to be doing very little in that regard.
“We all play complimentary roles in the fight against corruption. I can only remain a journalist by [gathering] all the evidence and giving it to the prosecuting authority to go ahead with the prosecution,” he told Joy FM’s Kojo Oppong Nkrumah on Tuesday.
According to him “none of the evidence he made available to the police has been tended before the court of law and that is intriguing.”
He said the judge is right in throwing out the case because she can only make decisions based on the facts available to her and if the police are not forthcoming with the evidence, the judge has very little to do.
Anas refused to accept the notion that the evidence he tended in to the police was perhaps not comprehensive enough to win the prosecution’s case.
“What is more evidence than seeing the man taking the money”...“This is being caught in the act,” he emphasized.
He would not however accuse the police for covering up for their own, especially when he has no evidence to support that, except to say that “we ought to open our eyes.”
The police administration says they are unable to prosecute the case because the AG’s office is yet to advise on the case.
According to Kwesi Ofori, Director of Police Public Relations, the docket has been sent to the AG’s department and that the police were still waiting for clearance for the prosecution to start.
He said even though the accused persons have been discharged, they will again be hauled before court if the AG’s office takes a decision on the issue.
Attempts by Myjoyonline.com to get a response from the Attorney General, Betty Mould Iddrisu proved futile. She was said to be in a meeting.
source: myjoyonline
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