The Accra High Court sentenced six of the nine individuals who tried to topple the government in 2019 to death by hanging on Wednesday.
A three-judge panel found the defendants guilty of conspiracy to commit treason and high treason. The defendants included three soldiers and three civilian employees of the Ghana Armed Forces.
The trial was overseen for approximately three years by Justice Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe, a Court of Appeal judge who also held additional responsibilities as a High Court judge.
The three others who were cleared and released were Colonel Kodzo Gameli, Corporal Seidu Abubakar, and Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Dr. Kwasi Agordzo.
The Ghana Armed Forces civilian employee Johannes Zikpi was found guilty of conspiracy to commit high treason. Fleet manager Bright Alan Debrah Ofosu and blacksmith Donya Kafui, popularly known as Ezor, were found guilty of treason and conspiracy to commit treason.
All three men were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release.
The three troops are Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, Warrant Officer II Esther Saan Dekuwine, and Corporal Sylvester Akanpewon, who was convicted of high treason conspiracy.
The founder of Citadel Hospital in Alajo, Accra, Dr. Yao Frederick Mac-Palm, passed away during the trial last year. After entering not-guilty pleas, they were all given bail.
However, the non-governmental organization (NGO) Take Action Ghana (TAG) was used by the convicts to destabilize the nation and eventually topple the government, according to the prosecution brought by the Attorney General’s office.
The prosecution called 13 witnesses to testify against the guilty in the meantime. According to the prosecution, ACP Dr. Agordzo joined a WhatsApp group run by Dr. Mac-Palm for TAG, where members talked about a demonstration that was compared to the Arab Spring.
The prosecution stated that in addition to writing a speech for Dr. Mac-Palm to read at TAG’s upcoming demonstration, ACP Agordzo gave GH¢2,000 to support TAG’s mission.
