By Joyce Danso
Accra, Nov. 01, GNA – There was spontaneous jubilation at the premises of the Accra Circuit Courts when a court discharged 23 young men nabbed for allegedly assaulting some elders of Kweiman.
The young men were also accused of attacking a palace over the sale of land to an estate developer.
The Circuit Court presided over by Mrs Afia Owusua Appiah discharged the accused persons after it adopted terms of settlement process of the Court Connected Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).
Mr Francis Xavier Sosu told the court that the parties (the complainant and the accused persons) had settled the matter amicably through the Court Connect ADR and he would like the court to adopt the terms of settlement.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Evans Kesse, the prosecutor, said the Police had received settlement processes from the Court Connected ADR hence prayed the court to discharge the accused persons.
The accused persons are Gideon Amartey, aka Kitinki, Richard Amartey Mensah, Eziel Adjetey Adjei, Nii Anang Mameley, Mensah Ago, Michael Adjei, Amarh Amartey Kwei, Ebenezer Laryea and Joseph Nii Mensah Anang.
The rest are Emmanuel Ago Doko, Reuben Tetteh, Samuel Armah Amartey, Isaac Mensah Lumor, Isaac Armah, Felix Adjei, Ernest Addo, Wisdom Tawiah, Amos Adjei, Isaac Afotey, Mershark Amartey and Jospeh Amartey Lartea Perry.
The accused were charged with conspiracy to commit crime namely assault and causing damage.
They denied the charges and granted bail.
The lawyer for the accused persons prayed to the court that since the accused persons’ family resided within the same vicinity, they would like to settle the matter through ADR.
The court obliged defence counsel’s request.
The prosecution’s case was that the complainant Nii Amartey Kwei III was the Chief of Kweiman in Accra.
It said in May 2023, the Chief granted a parcel of land located at Kweiman to a developer, which the youth disagreed with.
Prosecution said on July 6, 2023, the grantee and the Chief went to work on the land and in the process, the accused persons, who were allegedly armed with offensive weapons, rushed to the site and stopped the developer.
The prosecutor said they also allegedly went to the Palace and attacked four elders with cutlasses, wood, and metallic objects.
It said the accused persons destroyed 12 plastic chairs and a table, all valued at GHC800.
Prosecution said a report was made to the Police and the accused persons were arrested and police medical forms were issued to the four complainants- Ibrahim Anum, Benjamin Amartey, Joshua Odai and Francis Mensah to seek medical attention.
According to prosecution, when the medical report forms were submitted to the Police, they confirmed that the complainants had been assaulted.
GNA