The trial of Multimedia journalist Latif Iddrisu against the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Attorney General (AG) was once again delayed on Thursday, April 3, when the Senior State Attorney representing the AG failed to appear in court.
This delay marks another setback in a case that has already been postponed several times.
The Senior State Attorney had previously agreed to attend the last sitting but failed to show up, offering a last-minute notice of her unavailability to cross-examine the journalist.
The trial judge, His Lordship Abass Abubakari Adams, had initially offered ten days, starting from April 2, for the trial to proceed.
However, the Senior State Attorney requested two days to be excluded from the ten-day period due to her unavailability. As a result, three days have now been taken out of the original ten days, further prolonging the trial and delaying justice for the journalist.
Latif Iddrisu, who was present and ready for the proceedings, was informed by the judge that the AG’s representative was absent. The judge adjourned the case to April 7 at 10 am, citing the AG representative’s submission of a letter explaining her unavailability.
The protracted nature of the case has drawn concerns from press freedom advocates and democracy campaigners, who have called the delays a blot on Ghana’s democracy and press freedom.
Despite the setbacks, Iddrisu, who was brutally assaulted by officers of the Ghana Police Service in March 2017, remains determined to pursue the case to its conclusion.
He suffered a fractured skull after one of the officers struck him in the head with the butt of a gun during the assault at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters.
Iddrisu’s resolve to seek accountability within the police service and other security agencies continues despite the delays in the legal proceedings.
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