Eric Amoateng, a former Member of Parliament for Nkoranza North who recently arrived in Ghana after serving a 10 year jail term in the United States over narcotic related charges was on Friday arraigned.
Charged with possessing forged document, Amoateng pleaded not guilty and he was admitted to bail in the sum of GH?200,000.00 with three sureties one to be justified by an Accra Circuit Court. He is to report to the Police every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Amoateng is alleged to have travelled to Ghana with a female Ghanaian passport number 112347080 after serving his conviction abroad.
Prosecuting, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Aidan Dery opposed the bail application put in by Amoateng?s lawyers, saying he was just picked up last night at about 2100 hours at the Kotaka International Airport and handed over to the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) and needed some time to quiz him over his travelling documents.
According to DSP Dery in order not flout the 48 hour rule, it needed to arraign him.
Amoateng?s lawyers: Mr Charles Puozing and Barnabas Yang Tang prayed the court to admit their client bail as the law presumes that an accused person was innocent until he was proven guilty by a court.
According to counsels, the accused person has a fixed place of abode, near Weija Barrier, hence would not abscond, adding that, he had no record of absconding from the country.
They submitted that their client was ready to provide independent sureties if granted bail.
Amoateng dressed in black trousers and a black and ash stripped ?Lacoste? shirt is expected to reappear on August 26 at the court presided over by Ms Ellen Vivian Amoah.
The case of the state was that in the month of December 2005, the accused went to the United State of America. On December 11, 2005, he was arrested in the USA for possessing heroin, a narcotic drug.
According to the prosecution, he was tried and convicted and subsequently jailed to 10 years imprisonment. Amoateng served his sentence and on July 30, this year he was released from prison.
DSP Dery said on August 7, this year, accused arrived at the Kotoka International Airport on board a Delta Airline at 1420 hours. During his arrival formalities it was detected that he had in his possession a Ghanaian passport number H2347080, a forged one, with the bio data page substituted.
Investigations, according to DSP Dery revealed that Amoateng?s passport belonged to one Barbara Inkum and the said passport was issued on February 2009, the time when he (Amoateng) was in prison in the USA.
Meanwhile drama unfolded at the court premises when a relation of Amoatneg smashed a Graphic Reporter?s Ipad when he attempted to take a picture of Amoateng.
Amoateng, who was escorted from the court premises warned: ?If you want to take my picture, you need to seek my permission?.
GNA
