An attempt by lawyer for popular actress Nana Ama Agyemang McBrown to get an Accra Circuit Court to expunge her witness statement has been dismissed by the court.
The actress was summoned by the court to testify in the trial of Lawrence Nana Asiamah Hanson, aka Bulldog, who allegedly threatened President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo live on television.
Her counsel, Dennis Adjei Dwomoh, appearing before the court yesterday, said the court could not rely on the said witness statement as it was not obtained genuinely by the police investigators.
He said the witness statement that was procured from his client was through deceit because he claimed the police did not explain the circumstances behind the statement Ms. McBrown gave to the investigators.
Counsel also said that the police did not let her know she was going to be a prosecution witness.
Mr Dwomoh further argued that without the full explanation of the facts to Ms. McBrown that she was going to be a prosecution witness, “the procedure for securing the statement was deceitful and that witness statement should be expunged.”
The lawyer also said that his client did not intend to testify as a witness for the prosecution but rather as a witness of the court and should be treated as such.
The application was opposed by the prosecution led by Chief Inspector Simon Apiorsornu, who indicated that the claims by the lawyer came to him as a surprise.
He described the lawyer’s claims as unfortunate and entirely misleading and said the prospective witness willingly gave her statement to the police.
He told the court that when the matter was reported to the police, an invitation was extended to Ms. McBrown, who went to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters in Accra where she volunteered the statement to the police.
Chief Inspector Apiorsornu told the court that further to the actress’s statement, a signed witness statement was then filed on her behalf for the trial.
He added that things were explained to her and she willingly agreed to be a witness for the prosecution.
He, therefore, described the lawyer’s submission as an afterthought and one that is without merit and urged the court to dismiss it.
The court, presided over by Evelyn Asamoah, in her ruling held that the witness statement bore the signature of Ms. McBrown and during the trial, it would be read to her for confirmation before it is adopted by the court.
The court subsequently dismissed the application by Ms. McBrown’s lawyer.
Meanwhile, the trial has been adjourned to March 31, 2020 after the prosecutor told the court that he needed to communicate the latest development to his superiors for directions.
Bulldog is before the court for allegedly threatening that “the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, will not finish his four-year tenure if he failed to pay Menzgold customers.”