Driver, mate accuse Ghana Police of using torture to force guilty plea

The commercial driver and the mate who were seen in viral video fighting a uniformed police offer have accused the Police of using torture to force them to plead guilty.

The pair - Francis Buabeng (driver) and Albert Ansah (mate) - who were granted bail last Friday by a Weija Circuit Court after the intervention of nine lawyers say the Police used torture in an attempt to force them to accept the charges which they later denied in court.

Mr Buabeng in an interview with Joy FM said they were brutalised in Police custody after their initial arrest till their first appearance in court. He said he feared for their lives when they were remanded into Police custody for two-weeks because the torture got more intense.

He added that a CID officer and some policemen after the beatings advised them to accept the guilty plea and ask for forgiveness in court.

Mr Buabeng explained that they pleaded not guilty in court because after listening to the charges they realised that was not was transpired.

They claimed that, the Police were very furious on their return to jail and vented their spleen by slapping them around and keeping them in inhumane conditions.

Background

On March 14, 2019, the driver and his mate engaged in fisticuffs with a police officer, Constable Julius Mawuli Ekpe. The incident went viral after video footage was uploaded on social media.

The court admitted the two to bail to the tune of 10,000 cedis each with two sureties. The case has been adjourned to April 1.