Crunch Time in Ghana

February 05 2007

Supreme Court Judgement against Frank Laverick and David Logan due on 7 February 2007

Justice campaigners focus once more on Ghana and await the judgement of the Supreme Court in Accra on the 7th February 2007 in the case of Frank Laverick and David Logan.

The 2 men, together with 4 others, were convicted on 27th October 2004 for drugs offences and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment with hard labour.

Sabine Zanker, Head of the Legal Team at Fair Trials Abroad (FTA) said, “Frank and David were unsuspecting guests at the house where the drugs were found”. Under both Ghanaian and English Law, where a conviction is solely based on circumstantial evidence, a court ought not to convict unless guilt is the only conclusion that can be drawn from the evidence. Even the Prosecution argued on appeal that Frank and David should be acquitted, both at the Court of Appeal stage and at the Supreme Court.

“However”, continued Sabine Zanker, “This case has a strange history of undue interferences and therefore it was of little surprise that when the Supreme Court judgement was about to be delivered, the president of the five-member panel, dramatically declined jurisdiction and stepped down, thus forcing another member to be put in her stead. Immediately after the change, the Attorney-General of the Republic himself walked into Court, changed tack and withdrew support for an acquittal.”

“Nevertheless FTA has every faith in the distinguished Supreme Court Judges and their expertise and independence.”

“We have great confidence that the 7th of February will be a day of celebration concluding a hard-fought battle for justice” noted Sabine Zanker.