The the final hearing on Major Maxwell Mahama’s trial has been rescheduled to January 29, 2024, due to unexpected setbacks.
The seven-member jury, presiding over the case at the Accra High Court, faced delays as one juror was indisposed during the defense lawyer’s final address on November 27, 2023.
Originally scheduled for November 28, 2023, for the jury to give their final judgment on the 14 persons standing trial for the murder of Major Mahama, the proceedings faced complications. The unexpected unavailability of one juror on medical grounds and another’s planned travel out of the country led to the adjournment of the case to January 25, 2024.
Justice Mariama Owusu, a Supreme Court Justice serving as a High Court judge, had planned for the summing up of the trial on November 28. However, the delays necessitated the rescheduling, despite the court anticipating that only two more sittings would be required to conclude the matter.
The trial involves William Baah, the Assemblyman for Denkyira Obuasi, and 13 others facing charges related to the lynching of Major Maxwell Mahama. The charges range from abetment, conspiracy, and murder. The incident occurred in May 2017 when Major Mahama was mistaken for an armed robber and lynched in Denkyira Obuasi.
Both the prosecution and defense have closed their evidence, with oral final addresses being presented to the jury. The news of these developments highlights the complexity and unexpected challenges in the legal proceedings surrounding this tragic case that shook the nation in 2017.
Source : BBC
