In a significant development in the protracted investigation into the 2019 murder of investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale, the Madina District Court has formally discharged Mr. Daniel Owusu Koranteng.
This decision follows a comprehensive review of the evidentiary materials by the Office of the Attorney-General (A-G) and subsequent legal advice issued to the prosecution.
The Honorable Court presided over by Her Worship Susan D. Nyakote’s decision implies that the Prosecution’s case case lacked the requisite evidentiary threshold to sustain charges of abetment of murder and murder against the accused.
The A-G’s legal opinion, grounded in a meticulous analysis of the police docket, concluded that the purported call records used to implicate Mr Koranteng were inconclusive and failed to establish any direct or circumstantial link between him and the commission of the offence.
Also, none of the sketches generated by the police based on vivid descriptions of the eye witnesses resemble the accused.
Pursuant to the directive of the Attorney-General, the prosecution has been advised to redirect its investigative efforts toward identifying and apprehending the principal perpetrators of the heinous crime, namely, the two unidentified gunmen who executed the fatal attack and remain at large six years after the incident.
The prosecution also notified the court that based on the advice received by the A-G, her instructions were that the accused be discharged.
Mr. Koranteng, who appeared in court clad in a white shirt symbolizing vindication and peace, was accompanied by his legal counsel, Emma-Jean Markin, Esq., and Frederick Gurah Sampson, Esq.
The discharge marks a legal and moral victory for Mr Koranteng, who has consistently maintained his innocence throughout the course of the investigation.
The discharge reaffirms the fundamental legal principle that an accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
The decision not only clears Mr Koranteng’s name but also serves as a clarion call for a more targeted and effective pursuit of justice for the slain journalist.