Philip Fiifi Buckman, lawyer for Josephine Panyin Mensah, the Takoradi woman accused of faking her kidnapping and pregnancy, says the police prosecution team is yet to furnish his client with all intended prosecution documents.
Speaking to Citi News after the Presiding Judge for the Takoradi Habour Circuit A, His Honour Michael Cudjoe Ampadu adjourned the case to November 11, 2021, Mr. Buckman said they were in court for case management but could not proceed because the prosecutor failed to furnish the court and the defense team with all the necessary documents.
“We came to court today [October 14, 2021] for the prosecution to provide us with their documents which they intend to rely on for the trial. The law is that they have to disclose everything they intend to use for prosecution, including their witnesses, witness statements, and their evidence.”
“After that, we were to decide on a date for Case Management Conference, which we could have done today. Unfortunately, there were some documents which the prosecution needed to add, and the substantive prosecutor couldn’t also attend court today. So we have to send all the documents back to him to look through and when we come on the next adjourned date, we will do the Case Management, thus, if they serve us before we come to court. If they do not serve us before we come to court but serve us on that day, then we have to take another date for the case management. This is because we need to go through the documents to see that everything is in order,“ he said.
Josephine Panyin Mensah is currently on bail after she was charged with deceiving public officers contrary to section 251 (B) of the Criminal Offences Act and Publication of false news with intent to cause fear and panic contrary to section 208 (1) of the Criminal Offences Act.
She was at the court today in the company of her husband, Michael Simmons and the mother, Agnes Essel.
