Confession unravels staged robbery, murder
The Supreme Court has affirmed the death sentences imposed on three people, including a woman who masterminded the murder of her husband at ACP Estate, Pokuase, Accra, on June 15, 2013. Salamatu Karim was convicted of abetting the murder of her husband, Abdul Karim, by Awudu Alhassan Sulemana, alias Dozer, and Mohammed Sulemana, alias Banana. … The post Confession unravels staged robbery, murder appeared first on Ghanaian Times.
Black News 
The Supreme Court has affirmed the death sentences imposed on three people, including a woman who masterminded the murder of her husband at ACP Estate, Pokuase, Accra, on June 15, 2013.
Salamatu Karim was convicted of abetting the murder of her husband, Abdul Karim, by Awudu Alhassan Sulemana, alias Dozer, and Mohammed Sulemana, alias Banana.
A five-year jury trial at the High Court found all three guilty. The case centered on what initially appeared to be an armed robbery that had gone wrong.
At about 9:35 p.m. on the night of the incident, Salamatu called the police, claiming that armed robbers had broken into the house and attacked her husband while she was bathing.
When police arrived, Abdul Karim had been rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. However, a post-mortem examination revealed a fractured skull, fractured mandible and other injuries consistent with a sustained beating.
The case remained unresolved until police, while investigating an unrelated attempted robbery, arrested Kofi Nyagbedzi, whose information led them to Dozer and Banana at Dodowa.
During interrogation, the two men gave statements that changed the direction of the investigation. According to the prosecution, they admitted that the robbery had been staged and that Salamatu had facilitated their entry into the house.
The prosecution said Salamatu, who was Dozer’s sister, recruited the two men, allowed them into the house, hid them in the bathroom, identified her husband to them and supplied the weapon, with a promise to pay them afterwards.
The prosecution further alleged that she helped conceal the crime after the attack.
Dozer was convicted of murder and conspiracy, Banana of conspiracy, while Salamatu was convicted of abetment of murder. All three were sentenced to death.
They appealed to the Court of Appeal, which affirmed their convictions in November 2018, before proceeding to the Supreme Court.
Their counsel, Raphael Alijina Debrah, raised 13 grounds of appeal, challenging the admission of the confession statements, the trial judge’s directions to the jury, the sufficiency of the evidence and the Court of Appeal’s decision.
The Supreme Court, however, found no basis to overturn the convictions.
On the confession statements, the Court noted that the trial judge had conducted a mini trial to determine whether they were voluntarily made and had found them admissible.
The Court also held that the judge’s summing-up to the jury was balanced, comprehensive and legally accurate, with the burden of proof and the elements of murder, conspiracy and abetment properly explained.
Regarding Salamatu, the Court said the evidence, including the accounts of the two convicted men, established her role in facilitating the murder.
The Supreme Court consequently dismissed the appeal and affirmed the convictions and death sentences of Dozer, Banana and Salamatu Karim.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
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The post Confession unravels staged robbery, murder appeared first on Ghanaian Times.
