Six Individuals sentenced to Death by Hanging for Alleged Coup Plot

In a recent development, the High Court has handed down convictions to six individuals accused of conspiracy to commit high treason and committing high treason. Notably, Assistant Commissioner of Police Benjamin Agordzo, Colonel Samuel Kodzo Gameli, and another junior military officer, Corporal Seidu Abubakar, were acquitted.

The six convicted individuals, including three soldiers, namely Donya Kafui (known as Ezor, a blacksmith), Bright Alan Debrah Ofosu (a fleet manager), and Johannes Zikpi (a civilian employee of the Ghana Armed Forces), have been sentenced to death by hanging. Additionally, three soldiers, Warrant Officer II Esther Saan Dekuwine, Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, and Corporal Sylvester Akanpewon, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit high treason.

The judgment, which took place on November 22, 2023, came after the parties involved had submitted their respective written submissions. The accused, including the late Chief Executive Officer of Citadel Hospital, Dr. Frederick Yao Mac-Palm, and ACP Dr. Agordzo, faced charges related to conspiracy to commit high treason, abetment to high treason, and high treason.

Following Dr. Mac-Palm’s death, his evidence was removed from the records. The legal proceedings involved prosecutors from the Attorney General’s Department, led by AG Godfred Yeboah Dame, and defense lawyers representing the accused individuals.

The trial, which commenced on June 8, 2021, saw the State Prosecutors presenting 13 witnesses, including seven soldiers, before closing their case on July 12, 2022. The three-member panel of judges, consisting of Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, Justice Hafisata Amaleboba, and Justice Stephen Oppong, delivered the recent judgment.