The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC) together with some driver unions have intervened to provide legal aid for a driver and mate who allegedly assaulted a Police officer.
“The Human Rights Advocacy Centre at Osu, Car dealers Association, Driver Unions reps have all joined to give assistance to the driver and mate just to ensure that at least they will be given fair trial if indeed they have committed a crime. But the fair trial should also not be without equity. Because if eye witness can corroborate that the whole fight seen in the video was initiated by the police officer in uniform who should even know better by his training, then the driver and his mate must have some reliefs in the trial.” Executive Secretary of COPEC, Duncan Amoah told Kasapa 102.5 FM.
The commercial bus driver and his mate (conductor) who assaulted a police officer at Weija, a suburb of Accra, have been slapped with four counts of assaulting a police officer and causing road obstruction.
Francis Buabeng, 26 and Albert Ansah, 33, have also been charged with conspiracy to commit crime and causing unlawful damage following the attack on the cop last week.
The two were arraigned before the Weija District Court on Monday where they pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against them.
They have been remanded in police custody until April 1.
Speaking on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa 102.5 FM, Duncan Amoah said they’ll not leave the driver and mate to their fate but ensure they have access to justice in the form of right to counsel and the right to a fair trial.
“The poor and vulnerable should be supported in our justice system because they have often been treated unfairly; we must build a system that must accommodate every Ghanaian. Is there no legal remedy for provocation? Is there no legal remedy for self defence? The driver and mate have been remanded. What about the Police officer who various eye witness have testified against that he allegedly started the fight by slapping the driver when he stopped them.
“It should be established that an officer of the law should not himself become a lawless citizen…I think we should move away from that culture where we get overly intimidated by the men in uniform. What we are asking is that is the law being applied fairly to all manner of persons as demanded by our constitution? Duncan argued in an interaction with host Kwaku Owusu Adjei.
