An Accra high court presided over by Justice Marie Louise Simmons has granted an application by lawyers of the former president of the Ghana Football Association Kwesi Nyantakyi, seeking to compel the investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas to testify in the case brought against him by the state.
Among other demands, Nyantakyi’s lawyers prayed the court to order Anas Aremeyaw Anas to testify in open court so that their client can identify him in person.
“It is in the interest of justice where the liberty of a citizen is at stake that they are given the needed facility to defend themselves,” lawyers for Nyantakyi argued in court.
Crucial identity
“The witness is a principal character in the determination this case. The identity of the said witness becomes crucial to allow the accused to identify the said witness and be able to defend him.
“The said witness (Anas Aremeyaw Anas) has been seen in public addressing the media while wearing his bead masks and this shows that the said witness (Anas Aremeyaw Anas) is comfortable appearing in public while disguising himself.”
After hearing the lawyers’ arguments, Justice Marie Louise Simmons’s court granted the application in part, setting out some conditions.
“The accused will be allowed to identify the witness in chambers by him (Anas Aremeyaw Anas) taking off the mask. This will happen every time he (Anas Aremeyaw Anas) comes to testify in the case until he is discharged,” the judge ruled.
The court further ruled that phones and any other electronic devices used for recording or capable of recording will not be allowed in the judge’s chambers during the in-camera proceedings.
Reporting by Wilberforce Asare in Accra
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