Angry judge lambasts police over handling of missing ‘Rosewood Queen’
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His Honour Justice Twumasi Appiah, the presiding judge at the Tamale Circuit Court on Monday, 13 May 2019, lambasted the police officers handling the case involving Chinese national Helena Huang, who was arrested for illegally logging Rosewood.
The judge wondered why the police released the suspect on police inquiry bail due to the international nature of the crime even before the case was brought to court.
The PRO for the Northern Regional police command, DSP Yussif Tanko last week told the media that the Chinese national was released on police inquiry bail.
However, conflicting reports emanated from the police when the Regional Crime Officer said an influential individual stood surety for the suspect.
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But in court, the man who stood surety for the suspect, Mohammed M. Bondirigbom, pleaded with the court to give him one month to produce the Chinese woman.
He said a long-time friend, who is a driver of one of the trucks loaded with the four containers of Rosewood that were intercepted and impounded by the police, persuaded him to stand as surety for Ms Huang.
He disclosed that the driver is a native of Salaga in the East Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region and will make efforts to get the suspect in court even though her phones have been off and unreachable.
His Honour Justice Twumasi Appiah subsequently granted Mr Bondirigbom bail with two sureties who are supposed to be government workers receiving salaries not less than GHS3,000. Alternatively, he would have to provide a landed property worth GHS130, 000.
The judge further gave an order to the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service, to offload the Rosewood and park the two trucks at the court’s premises until further notice.
The case has been adjourned to 22 May 2019.
