The Investigator in the case in which Gregory Afoko is standing trial for the murder of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Upper East Regional Chairman, Adams Mahama has said the fingerprint taken from Afoko was not subjected to forensic examination.
Chief Inspector Augustus Nkrumah, the 16th Prosecution Witness in the ongoing trial, said, instead, the fingerprint taken from Afoko was “used to check his criminal records.”
Responding to questions under cross-examination from Stephen Sowah Charway, lead counsel for Afoko, he said the police did not subject the exhibits ‘S’ (gallon) and ‘W’ (cup) to the forensic examination during investigations.
The Investigator also told the court presided over by Justice Afua Merley Wood, a Justice of the Court of Appeal sitting with additional responsibility as a High Court judge that, “We couldn’t subject it to test because the exhibit has passed through some hands and fingerprints on it have been tampered with.”
When it was put to him, by counsel that, they took the fingerprint of Afoko but when they realized that, it didn’t match with what was on the exhibit, then they excluded it from the trial.
The investigator said, “We took a fingerprint of 1st Accused but that particular fingerprint that was taken on the CID form called ‘Form 8,’ is not for the purpose of which counsel is addressing.”
He added that the fingerprint taken was to “check the criminal background of the accused person.”
Counsel then accused the witness of being untruthful to the court and that, his responses were an afterthought.’
Chief Inspector Augustus Nkrumah disagreed, adding that, “normally these things we don’t say it in open court.”
The Investigator also told the court that, a voltic bottle retrieved at the crime scene was not subjected to analysis.
“This voltaic bottle has splashes of the liquid substance in it and that makes it impossible to lift fingerprint for analysis,” he told the court.
When counsel again put it to the Witness that if he had made the attempt he would have found fingerprint marks on it, the witness disagreed.
“This is part of crime scene investigations by way of lifting fingerprint on any exhibit which is possible. But with regard to this particular voltic bottle, it was totally impossible.”
Afoko, and Asabke Alangde are also facing the charge of abetment and have both pleaded not guilty.
The case has been adjourned to Monday, April 11, 2022.
Source: Kasapafmonline.com/Murtala Inusah