�Tehoda Helped Sell Cocaine Woman�s House�

Detective Inspector Paul Mahama of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), has told an Accra Human Rights Court that his investigations revealed that it was DSP Gifty Mawunyegah Tehoda who facilitated the sale of the house of Nana Ama Martins, the cocaine suspect at the centre of the swapping of 120 kilograms of cocaine with sodium bicarbonate.

He told the court, presided over by Justice Nana Kofi Essel, that Serwah Dwabeng, the errand lady of Nana Ama, admitted it in her statement to the police.

DSP Tehoda has sued the Ghana Police Service over her dismissal for her alleged role in the swapping of the cocaine.

The witness said this in his evidence in-chief led by Cecil Adadevoh. Detective Inspector Paul Mahama explained that the plaintiff (Tehoda) called Serwah Dwabeng nine times in prison and said she was not dismissed because of the swapping of the cocaine, but because of the role she played in facilitating the sale of the house.

He further averred that Serwah Dwabeng had told him that the plaintiff had told her (Dwabeng’s) madam (Nana Ama) that she should go to court because nothing would come out against her, but Ephraim Vodoagu, counsel for Tehoda, said that was unacceptable because it wasn’t from a direct source but hearsay.

The trial judge in response said what the investigator was saying wasn’t the issue before him and that he would not take that into consideration at the end of the case.

The case has been adjourned to May 12 for the witness to authenticate some documents and to tender the movement diary of the police to the court in evidence.

Chief Supt Yakubu Aggrey Nantogmah of the Madina Divisional Police Command has testified against Tehoda saying it was he who recommended her dismissal.

He had also admitted that he continued hearing allegations against her (Tehoda) at the Police Disciplinary Committee set up to investigate her, in spite of the fact that she informed him that the committee sitting should be suspended because the matter was in court.

Evans Mensah, the host of Newsnight programme on Joy Fm – an Accra-based private radio station – appeared in court last year after he was subpoenaed, and tendered a transcript of the tape on which Atinga-Bio spoke about the writ filed by DSP Mawunyegah Tehoda concerning her dismissal by the Service, in court.

Mrs. Tehoda has filed a writ against the state, seeking a declaration that her detention in cells beyond 48 hours by the BNI was unlawful.

She is also seeking a declaration that her prosecution by the state over the alleged swapping of cocaine was malicious and wants compensation for her dismissal.