In a significant legal development, an Accra High Court, relying on a jury trial, has unanimously found William Baah, a former Assemblyman for Denkyira-Obuasi, and 11 others guilty in the murder case of Captain Maxwell Mahama.
The seven-member jury reached the verdict, declaring the convicts guilty of abetment to murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and murder. Presided over by Justice Mariama Owusu, a Supreme Court Justice acting as an additional High Court Judge, the court handed down life imprisonment sentences, to be served concurrently.
Justice Owusu stated that, based on the evidence presented, there was no doubt regarding Captain Mahama's death, and it was established that the cause of death was not natural.
Before the verdict, extended family members, dressed in black apparel with red armbands and Kente outfits, were present to support Captain Mahama's immediate family.
The individuals found guilty include Bernard Asamoah (alias Daddy), Kofi Nyame (alias Abortion), Akwasi Boah, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi, Michael Anim, John Bosie, Akwasi Baah, Charles Kwaning, Emmanuel Badu, and Kwadwo Anima.
Meanwhile, the court acquitted and discharged Bismarck Donkor and Bismarck Abanga for conspiracy to commit a crime, to wit, murder. This decision followed a unanimous not-guilty verdict from the seven-member jury.
Fourteen persons initially stood trial at the Accra High Court over the murder of Captain Mahama, an Officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion at Burma Camp. The tragic incident occurred on May 29, 2017, in Denkyira-Obuasi, Central Region, where the Captain was mistaken for an armed robber and subsequently lynched by residents, despite his identification as an Officer of the Ghana Armed Forces.
After the court sitting, Attorney-General Godfred Dame expressed satisfaction with the conviction, emphasizing that the verdict would serve as a deterrent against the practice of mob justice in the country.
