Thank you for completing the trial – Major Mahama’s family to Godfred Dame
During the trial, the prosecution called a total of 14 prosecution witnesses and led several pieces of evidence to prove their case
The family of the late Major Maxwell Mahama has expressed their sincere appreciation to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice of the Republic, Godfred Dame, and his staff at the Attorney General’s department for staying with the cause and seeing to the logical conclusion of the case of the Republic versus William Baah and thirteen others (The Major Mahama Case).
They made this known when they paid a courtesy call to the Attorney General in his office on Wednesday, 31 January 2024, a day after the High Court through a seven-member jury, returned a verdict of guilty against 12 out of the 14 accused persons who stood trial for the murder of Major Maxwell Mahama.
Prosecution
The slain soldier, who was promoted posthumously from Captain to the rank of Major, was on duty at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region, when on May 29, 2017, some residents mistook him for an armed robber and lynched him. The mob is reported to have ignored his persistent plea that he was an officer of the Ghana Armed Forces during the attack on him.
During the trial, the prosecution called a total of 14 prosecution witnesses and led several pieces of evidence to prove their case. Mahama was an Officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion, at Burma Camp.
Family statement
“We wish to thank you and your staff for doing a wonderful job in bringing this case to a successful conclusion. The family has been in “wonderland” for many years, we didn’t know what to expect, we have been in a lot of pain and we prayed that one day, justice would be ours,” Mr Kaleonah Tizzala, the leader of the delegation told the AG, Godfred Dame
“Not because whatever sentence is pronounced will bring back our son, but that it will make us feel better, that at the end, it will be a deterrent to people who may ever think of taking the law into their own hands and brutally and sadistically, murder any innocent son or daughter of another person. This is why we are very happy with the results,” Mr Tizzala added.
AG on reforms
In response to the submission of the family of the late military officer, the AG expressed the sympathies of the state to the family, noting that the sad murder of Major Mahama was a terrible crime that greatly affected the entire nation.
Dame further indicated that the trial of accused persons has been a long-drawn-out process that took about 6 years to conclude. The prosecution team he said, stayed the cause and they 2finally got justice dispensed according to the laws of Ghana.
The AG further observed that the trial of the 14 accused persons for the murder of the late Major Maxwell Mahama has brought to the fore some of the severe challenges with the criminal justice system, and will therefore occasion important reforms in the trial of criminal cases in Ghana.
Some of the reforms, according to the A-G, have already commenced whilst others are imminent. Mr. Dame noted that apart from the passage of the “Vigilantism Act,” he has tabled a new bill before Cabinet, which will be reviewed this week on reforms to the jury trial system in the country.
The reforms, Godfred Dame said, will extend to other means of speeding up the hearing of criminal trials generally. They include provisions on the control of interlocutory appeals and applications in criminal cases, day-to-day trial of cases, video evidence, and control of proceedings at trials generally.
Major Mahama’s Mother
Veronica Bamford, Mother of the late Major Maxwell Mahama on her part, registered her appreciation to the Attorney General for taking a keen interest in the case of (The Republic versus William Baah and 13 others).
She observed that her son’s death has caused her mental health challenges, but over time, she has been able to over them, and she will continue in her struggle to over all her mental health issues fully.
Miss Veronica Bamford lamented the deplorable state of the tomb of her son, who was buried at the military cemetery. She suggested to the AG to use his good office to impress upon the appropriate authorities to consider giving a phase lift to the graveyard of her late son, Major Maxwell Mahama.
Trial outcome
Twelve people out of the fourteen accused persons, including the assembly member for Denkyira Obuasi, William Baah, were found guilty of murder and conspiracy to murder on Tuesday, 30 January 2024, for the murder of Major Maxwell Mahama.
A seven-member jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty against Bernard Asamoah, Akwasi Baah, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi, Kofi Nyarko, Michael Anim, Emmanuel Badu, John Bosie, Akwasi Baah, Charles Kwaning, and Kwadwo Anim.
The twelve convicts were charged with the offences of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and abetment of murder. The verdict of the jury Essen pointed to the fact that the twelve individuals were responsible for the tragic events leading up to the death of the military officer, Major Maxwell Mahama.
Two out of the fourteen accused persons, Bismark Donkor and Bismark Abanga, were, however, acquitted and discharged after the jury returned a verdict of not guilty as far as the two accused persons were concerned.
Meeting Attendees
Present at the meeting were the Deputy Attorney-General, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah; Solicitor-General, Helen Akpene Ziwu, Director of Public Prosecutions, Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, Chief State Attorneys of the Office of the Attorney General, Evelyn Kelson; and Colonel Mensah Gordon, representing the Ghana Armed Forces.
Reporting by Wilberforce Asare in Accra
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