The Office of the Attorney General has taken over prosecution of the case involving a senior lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) who is standing trial over the disappearance of his wife, Rhodaline Amoah-Darko.
The Attorney General’s Office represented by Charles Edward Addo Yirenkyi, indicated to the court that their advice on the matter is ready and are yet to dispatch it.
He, however, added that further investigations need to be conducted into the matter.
Lawyers for the embattled KNUST lecturer, Dr. Wilberforce Aggrey, prayed the court to grant their client bail, but the request was denied.
The counsel for the state argued that if the accused person is granted bail, he will interfere with investigations since the witnesses are people who worked under him.
The Magistrate, Korkor Owusu Achaw, then adjourned the case to 28th January 2022.
Staff of the Lands Commission in Kumasi, where Rhodaline Amoah-Darko worked, who were present in court, described the decision for the Attorney General’s Office to take over the case as a step in the right direction.
For members of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors who were also in court, they believe the accused is being given preferential treatment by the police which they want to be looked at.
Background
The accused, Dr. Wilberforce Aggrey, on 2nd September 2021 reported to the police that his wife, Rhodaline Amoah-Darko had been kidnapped from their home around KNUST, as he had received some text messages.
Police then began investigations into it. Investigations however revealed that the messages that were sent from Rhodaline’s phone to some family members and friends, including her husband, were sent from the KNUST campus closer to the house of the accused person (the husband).
As a result of this, Dr. Wilberforce Aggrey was arrested on 6th October 2021 to assist with investigations.
The police say in his caution statement, he admitted to sending those messages through his wife’s phone.
The accused person, however, says he does not know the whereabouts of the victim’s phone.
He has also not been able to disclose the location of his wife to the police. The police have thus charged him provisionally with kidnapping.
