The 10 people accused of being part of a plot to overthrow the government will on February 14, 2023, answer the allegations raised by the prosecution.

Dr Frederic Mac-Palm will be the first to mount the dock.

He has been accused by the prosecution to be the main brain behind the alleged coup plot.

The court, which has a three-member panel, with Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe as President, is expected to conduct a Case Management Conference (CMC) on February 13.

Fixing the date for the accused persons to open their defence, the court ordered defence lawyers who haven’t filed the necessary documents to do so before February 13, 2023.

Not guilty

The accused persons are in court for allegedly taking part in the activities of Take Action Ghana (TAG), a non-governmental organisation accused by the prosecution of planning to destabilise the country to take over the government.

They are Dr Frederic Mac-Palm, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Dr Benjamin Agordzo, Colonel Samuel Kodzo Gameli, Bright Alan Debrah Ofosu (a fleet manager), Johannes Zikpi (a civilian employee of the Ghana Armed Forces) and Donya Kafui, aka Ezor (a blacksmith).

The rest – Corporal Seidu Abubakar, Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, Corporal Sylvester Akanpewon and Warrant Officer II Esther Saan Dekuwine – are all soldiers.

ACP Dr Agordzo and Col.Gameli have pleaded not guilty to abetment of high treason, while the rest have pleaded not guilty to high treason and conspiracy to commit high treason.

Open defence

The accused persons were in July 2022 ordered to open their defence.

That was after the three-member panel of the court dismissed a submission of ‘no case’ filed by the accused persons.

The court held that the submission of ‘no case’ had no merit because the prosecution had been able to establish a prima facie case against the 10 accused persons through its 13 witnesses.