Dr Frederick Yaw Mac-Palm, one of the ten persons accused of plotting to overthrow the Government says Take Action Ghana (TAG) was founded to mobilise and educate citizens on their fundamental human rights.
“I formed a Non-Governmental Organisation named TAG in or around May 2019 and it was to mobilise and educate the citizens about their fundamental human rights.” Dr Mac-Palm, a United States of American (USA) trained medical practitioner, told an Accra High Court.
This was during his evidence-in-chief led by Mr Livingston Ameevor, his defence counsel.
“I have been organising media outreach programmes to teach the target audience on personal hygiene. TAG also aims at fighting against nepotism, corruption. The group also aimed to join groups calling for the review of the 1992 constitution,” he added.
The accused person recounted how the Group organised outreach programmes in Kpando and other places where it donated 100 bags of cement for the construction of health facilities in those areas.
Bright Alan Debrah Ofosu, another accused person, Dr Mac-Palm said was part of earlier jointers, so he (Debrah) promised to contact key persons such as nurses, doctors, soldiers and other targeted audience. “I have never in my life planned to remove government though a coup.”
“I say that it was Staff Sergeant Sule Kwadwo Awarf, third Prosecution’s Witness, who suggested the need for TAG leadership to acquire weapons of protection after we were attacked by armed robbers after one of our outreach trips on the Bole-Bamboi road.
Awarf brought Donya Kafui, another alleged accomplice, who he had worked with in the past and that Kafui can manufacture the pistols.
Awarf, he said, continued his wicked plans where he planted the smoke grenade on me, Dr Mac-Palm revealed. “I want to state without any doubt that it was Awarf who planted all the weapons that were tendered by the prosecution’s witness.” Dr Mac-Palm said.
He said, “I have known Colonel Samuel Gameli as a senior military officer and all our discussions have been on health and we have never had any discussions about a revolution. Johannes Zikpi is someone I met through Awarf when he accompanied Colonel Gameli to the hospital.”
He told the three-panel-member Court made up of Justices Stephen Oppong, Hafisata Amaleboba and chaired by Justice Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe
“I have never discussed any issues or matters regarding coup or jamming communication equipment,” the narrated.
I want to put on record that we at TAG were attracted by both national and international level, on good governance, rule of law and separation of power.
If the Prosecution and the Military as well as the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) say I was involved in any plans to undertake coup then they should present videos of any conversations I had about carrying out a coup.
Mrs Yvonne Attakorah Obuobisa, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), asked when and who formed TAG, Dr Mac-Palm said it was incorporated in July 2018 “by myself, one Professor in the US called Dr Sam and Debrah. We were the three main people who conceived the idea to form TAG”.
“I am a director, Dr Sam was then a director and there was one Kofi who I have forgotten the surname was a director and Debrah was the secretary,” he explained.
Mrs Obuobisa put it to him that during one of their (Mac-Palm and Dr Sam) conversations, Dr Mac-Palm stated that TAG was formed to speak against the ills of the society but contrary to this, TAG had an agenda which he (Mac-Palm) pushed through on the executive WhatsApp platform.
“Massive occupation of flagstaff house, parliament, massive shutdown of GoG and appeal to the international entities for immediate election. Arrest of people who have stolen from the state, Dr Mac-Palm read from the exhibit of their WhatsApp conversation as directed by the DPP.
In the cross-examination, Mrs Obuobisa asked whether Dr Mac-Palm had already stated that what he read was a conversation between him and Dr Sam on the TAG executive’s WhatsApp platform but he said he did not remember holding such as conversation with Dr Sam on the executive platform.
DPP: “I put it to you that this is an extraction of the conversation that you and Dr Sam as executive members held on TAG via WhatsApp on July 11, 2018.”
Dr Mac-Palm replied “My Lords, in the first place I disagree with the statement, Dr Sam together with Debrah met me in a series of discussions, I never remember us discussing anything like this. What I knew about Dr Sam by then was that he will use vulgar words like revolution, Arab Spring, Coup d’état and we all warned him that that was not our aim and for that matter our agenda.”
“So my Lords you could note from the same page Dr Sam wrote this then I did not respond to what he wrote. So that couldn’t have been any form of conversation or interaction between Dr Sam and I as far as this matter is concerned. It is worth noting that based on these utterances from and by Dr Sam we the executive decided to kick him off the platform,” he continued.
The DPP insisted that what he had just told the court that it cannot be true because on page 12 when Dr Sam suggested he (Dr Palm) took out revolution for now from your discussion on the executive platform because people were afraid, he (Mac-Palm) commended Dr Sam that he had done a great job of mapping out the objectives of TAG.
Dr Mac-Palm debunked that saying, “My Lords, I was not commending Dr Sam for the great job he had done by telling him to take out revolution, I was reminding Dr. Sam as seen at the last page of 12 for mapping out the objectives, missions and vision. Dr Sam’s statements do not include our missions, objectives and visions.”
Mrs Obuobisa stated that the real objective of TAG was to cause unrest and to overthrow the constitution of the Republic of Ghana through the use of the main TAG platform as screened shot but Dr Mac-Palm denied.
“TAG political party is registered… we need to involve the youth massively… we are done with the old corrupt system…, Dr Mac-Palm read as requested by DPP.
DPP: From what you just read, you masterminded the idea of TAG to overthrow the Government and institute another government of your own.” “My Lords, that is incorrect.” Dr Mac-Palm.
Mrs Obuobisa asked if a barrister pistol with two magazines was retrieved from Dr Mac-Palm’s bedroom and he answered in the affirmative, adding that “I know it has two magazines.”
Asked to give reasons for having those in his bedroom, Dr Mac-Palm said the pistols and cartridges were for self-protection, so they were registered and duly licensed.
“Also, in your Bawaleshie residence, 57 live rounds of ammunition were found in a bag in your wardrobe, is that right? And Dr Mac-Palm said, “that is correct,” thus, he was questioned why he kept those ammunitions and he said, “the individuals who sold the pistol to me is the one who provided that for me as supplementary (I bought these together with the ammunition) for self-protection.”
“In your evidence-in-chief, you told this court that Donya Kafui was brought in by Awarf to manufacture weapons for your protection, is that right? Who suggested that you needed to acquire weapons for protection, so he brought in Kafui to manufacture weapons for you is that right,” DPP asked and he said that was correct.
The DPP challenged that that it was untrue as he had already acquired other weapons for his protection but he insisted it was very true, stressing that their acquisition was because they were attacked at Bole Bamboi hence Awarf advised they armed themselves when plying that stretch of road.
Mrs Obuobisa told Dr Mac-Palm that he rather brought Kafui to the Citadel Hospital to make the weapons to pursue the agenda of overthrowing the Government and not Awarf who brought him but he disagreed.
The DPP showed him a picture and asked if he recognised the place with an X-ray container, when he confirmed that it was the Citadel Hospital, where he is the Chief Executive Officer and the container was his.
Showing him a video clip, he was asked to tell the court whether he was the one in the video and he said “yes my lords, supposedly, it’s me”.
“Can you identify the person you are talking to in the video?” “that is Kafui supposedly,” he answered.
DPP pointed out that “from the video, you are in your X-ray container is that it and Dr Mac-Palm said “supposedly.” “Can you identify who is in the video and where this is?” “That’s Kafui, supposedly in the container supposedly.
Dr Mac-Palm is standing trial with Kafui, Debrah, Johannes Zipki, Colonel Samuel Kojo Gameli, Warrant Officer Class Two Esther Saan, Corporal Sylvester Akanpewon, Lance Airforce Corporal Ali Solomon, Lance Corporal Seidu Abubakar and Assistant Commissioner of Police Dr Benjamin Agordzo.
They have been charged for attempting to overthrow government but have since denied their respective charges and granted bail.
Source: Ghana News Agency
