The Financial and Economic Division of the Accra High Court was told yesterday by an officer of the Food and Drugs Authority that chemicals retrieved from alleged plotters contained toxic compounds.

The witness, Eric Kwabena Karikari-Boateng who is the Director for the Centre for Laboratory Services and Research at the Food Drugs Authority (FDA), made the revelation in court yesterday.

He told the court presided over by three justices – Mrs Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, Mrs Hafesato Amalebona and Mr Stephen Oppong – that the chemicals were dangerous and toxic.

Mr Karikari-Boateng indicated that the samples were submitted to FDA by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service for testing, although he admitted that he didn’t know the source of the samples and were not accompanied by any of the accused persons standing trial in the case.

He said the CID earlier brought two samples – halothane for anesthesia and bupivacaine hydrochloride injection – and their contents were confirmed to be exactly what has been labelled on the container.

According to him, the outcome and report of the investigation were submitted to the CID on November 11, 2019.

He indicated that the investigation was conducted and signed by Nicholas Owusu Amoah who is the Analyst who tested the sample on the bench, Mr. Ernest Afesey, Mr. Joseph Ofosu-Siaw and himself.

The Director continued that the CID subsequently in December 2019 submitted nine samples, which three were unlabeled.

“For the 3 samples that were unlabeled, we used the standard methods to determine the constituents. Our conclusion was that, the first one labelled E.0.S, DEV.IEF..EF19G had a PH of 1.8 (i.e. in a layman’s term, very acidic). The second one FUJIFILM Anatomix RP Fixer A had a PH of 5.4 and that is acidic. The third one EOS DEV A Replenisher IEF..EF 19G had a PH of 8.0 making it alkaline. With the remaining 6 that were labelled, 2 of them were labelled to contain hydroquinone and were confirmed to contain hydroquinone and one had 18.6% w/v and the second one is 17.5%. The third one was confirmed to contain gluteraldehye-acetic acid. The fourth one was confirmed to contain silver compound. The fifth one was confirmed to contain acetic acid 10% and diethylene glycol. The remaining one was confirmed to contain acetic acid,” he said.

Mr Karikari-Boateng postulated that the investigators who signed the report were Nana Ama Ayebi Agyemang as the Analyst, Mr. Ernest Afesey, the head of Drug Physico-Chemical laboratory, Mr. Joseph Ofosu-Siaw, the head of the Quality Assurance Unit and himself, the head of the laboratory.

Being led by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Yvonne Attakora Obuobisa, the witness said the other six samples, two were labelled to contain hydroquinone and were confirmed to contain hydroquinone and one had 18.6% w/v and the second one is 17.5%.

This submission was contested by Mr Livingston Ameevor, Dr Frederick Mac Palm, saying the first set of samples were for injection and infusion, stressing that the bupivacaine must be injected into a patient before it can have and effect.

He further contended that if bupivacaine is exposed it losses it efficiency while the chemicals the witness had mentioned are available on the Ghanaian market through licensed pharmacy, clinics, hospitals and laboratories.

But the responded that the counsel assertion cannot be the fact, as halothane is only for inhalational use, to put people to sleep for surgery.

He explained that the chemical is a volatile compound so it cannot be administered through injections and for bupivacaine, “if you look at drugs, how it is supposed to be administered is always stated in what we call the summary of product characteristics. In a layman’s term it is called packaged insert and if you look at that of bupivacaine, it is for spinal anesthesia (i.e. it is injected into the spinal cord directly). So the fact that they are liquid does not mean they can be used through IV.”

The witness agreed to the statement that bupivacaine is injected into patients before medical procedure could be perform on him or her.

Mr Karikari-Boateng who says he is a Pharmacist by profession and pharmacology and Toxicology by qualification, debunked the suggestion that bupivacaine losses it efficiency when exposed.