Four members of the Western Togoland Restoration Front (WTRF) who blocked roads and locked up police officers at Mepe in 2021 have been found guilty for their roles in championing activities of the prohibited organization.
The three, together with some members of the WTRF group, also were said to have attacked the Aveyime and Mepe Police Stations, freed the inmates in the cells, locked up the policemen on duty in the cells, took arms and ammunition from the armory of the police stations, and bolted.
Rapheal Tettevi, co-founder and President of the United Freedom Fighters, assisted by Jasper Mawulorm Agudogo and Daniel Yevugah, co-founder and President of the CCWT, were 1st, 2nd and (3rd) accused persons respectively.
They were each sentenced to serve a six-month custodial sentences for being members of a prohibited organization.
The three have also been fined 800 penalty units each, equivalent to GHc9,600. This means they will pay a combined fine of GHc28,800.
Should they default in the payment, the Court said they should serve additional 12 months imprisonment.
Hope Mottey, secretary to the group (the 4th accused), who jumped bail, was convicted in absentia on the charge of accepting a contribution of a prohibited organization.
The Court, presided over by Justice Marie-Louise Simmons, imposed a two-year custodial sentence on him.
Additionally, the Court fined him 500 penalty units, which is equivalent to GHc6,000. Should he default in the payment, he will serve additional six months.
The Court has also directed the Registrar of Companies to strike out the names of Homeland Study Group Foundation and Western Togoland Restoration Front from its records.
The Court handed down the sentence after considering the plea of mitigation from counsel for the 3rd accused and directly from the 1st and 2nd accused persons themselves, as well as submissions from the prosecution led by Abena Konadu Adjei, a State Attorney.
Justice Simmons said the Court also considered the fact that the convicts had spent four years and eight months on remand for an offense that carries a maximum of five years custodial sentence.
The Court said had the convicts been convicted earlier, probably they would have served their sentence.
Counsel for the third accused and two of the convicts who represented themselves said they were first-time offenders and had spent over four years in custody.
The State Attorney, Abena Konadu Adjei, while urging the court to hand down deterrent punishment, said the convicts showed no remorse and, despite knowing they committed the offense, waited till full trial.
The court said the convicts are also to sign a bond of good behavior in default six months.
Brief Facts
Per the brief facts, officers of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), based on intelligence gathered, embarked on an exercise to identify and arrest members of the Western Togoland Restoration Front (WTRF) who, on September 25, 2020, blocked the road at Juapong and Sogakope and set fire to two STC vehicles.
It said on that day, some members of the WTRF group also attacked the Aveyime and Mepe Police Stations, freed the inmates in the cells, locked up the policemen on duty in the cells, took arms and ammunition from the armory of the police stations, and bolted.
It said investigations led to the arrest of the accused persons who are members of the Homeland Study Group Foundation, United Freedom Fighters (UFF), and Concerned Citizens of Western Togoland (CCWT).
The UFF, CCWT, and the WTRF are splinter organizations from the Homeland Study Group Foundation, whose main objective is to secede from the Republic of Ghana and form a new sovereign state.
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The brief facts stated that investigations showed that the UFF, CCWT, and WTRF were formed after Charles Kwami Kudzordzi alias Papavi Hogbedetor, the founder and leader of the HSGF, a prohibited organization, went into hiding after his arrest and release to continue from where he left off.
The first accused person, Raphael Tettevi, was the co-founder and President of the United Freedom Fighters. It said he was assisted by the second accused person, Jasper Mawulorm Agudogo, while the third accused person, Daniel Yevugah, was the co-founder and President of the CCWT.
The fourth accused person, Hope Mottey, is the financial secretary of the Homeland Study Group Foundation.
During their interrogations, the accused persons admitted being members of these prohibited organizations.
The fourth accused person also admitted having received funds on behalf of the Homeland Study Group Foundation for the running of its operations.
After investigations, the accused persons were brought before the Honorable Court for trial.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
