Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Dr Benjamin Kwasi Agordzo says he volunteered to donates GH¢2,000 to Tag Action Ghana (TAG) not for the purposes of overthrowing a constitutional elected government.

ACP Agordzo said he joined and contributed to TAG, which today some of its members are standing high treason and abetment trial, because its goals were democratically oriented.

According to him, his conversations with Dr Frederick Mac-Palm, alleged architect of a coup plot, never suggest that he was interested in the overthrown of the government, adding that his use of big bang and the seed of Arab Spring has been sown cannot be used against him, as treasonable offence.

The embattled senior police officer told the court presided over by three justices – Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, Hafista Amleboba and Stephen Oppong – at the Economic and Financial Division of the Accra High Court yesterday that he bought into the ideas of TAG his intentions were strictly based democratic principles.

ACP Agordzo said this while his defence lawyer, Kormivi Dzotsi holding Martin Kpebu brief, was cross-examining the prosecution 10^th witness (PW10), an officer with the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) and investigator in the matter, Francis Aboakye.

Mr Dzotsi told the court that if PW10 had conducted a thorough investigation on the matter without any preconceived mind, he would not have pressed charges against ACP Agordzo.

According to the counsel, ACP Agordzo had made his intentions clear to the witness and his investigation team that his expressions on Arab Spring can be found in his conversation with other persons and even in his lecture notes, therefore, could be mistaken as abetting for coup d’état.

He quizzed: “If you had done a thorough investigation with a fair mind these matters would have been investigated by you, true or false,” but PW10 answered in the negative.

The defence counsel further added that if Dr Agordzo had negative intention he would not have called for rebranding of TAG and also calling on the members to notify police for their intended demonstration.

The lawyer also argued that if TAG was a violent group they would not have included legal expert like Dotse Fred on their platform to advise them on how to interpret the Constitution.

In furtherance to this, he said the senior police officer urged Dr Mac-Palm to contact Sampson Lardi Ayenine.

He also told the court that the supposed drafted speech that Dr Agordzo forwarded to Dr Mac-Palm to be read on the day of the demonstration was not authored by him.

Mr Dzotsi reiterated that Dr Agordzo advice that TAG needs rebranding was for the group to attract funds from Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and these reforms that he was calling for included TAG having a branded t-shirts.

He added that Dr Agordzo apart from TAG main WhatsApp platform, he was not on its Sprinboard platform or Executive platform.

However, the witness said the investigation team understood Dr Agordzo use of Arab spring in the context that he subscribes to the taking over of the country through the mode of the Arab Spring.

Mr Aboakye added that Dr Agordzo claims are false and that TAG vision and mission as democratic movement are nothing but a camouflage, since their real intention was to camouflage it for security reasons.

“Besides that both Dr Agordzo and Dr Mac-Palm had a voice call before the link was sent and we don’t know the nature of discussion. Apart from this, I told the court that Dr Mac-Palm had told ACP Agordzo that TAG can provide the triggering platform,” he emphasised.

Excerpts of the cross examination

Q: I put it to you that the discussion between A1 (Mac-Palm) and A10 (Agordzo) must be understood strictly within the context of the objectives of which he agreed to join TAG? 

A: That’s false 

Q:  You talked about Arab Spring as one of the expressions you relied on to conclude that A10 was abetting a coup d’état? 

A: Yes.

Q: In Exhibit 1 for A10 series, he did indicate to you that the expression of Arab Spring could be found in other conversations with other persons not associated with TAG true or false?

A: I don’t recall

Q:  He further told the team that the expression Arab Spring had been used in lecturer notes available for inspection, true or false? 

A: yes, true.

Q:  As an investigator trained by FBI, did u bother to follow up on these claims? 

A:  No, culpability stem from the fact that it’s not about the use of Arab Spring. the culpability is not just by the use of Arab Spring but the fact that in that context we understood that he subscribe to the taking over of the government through Arab Spring.

Q: As investigator it is your duty to pursue all leads that come to your attention in the course of your investigation? 

A: That is false, we pursue relevant leads

Q: Even without checking the WhatsApp conversation you concluded they were irrelevant 

A: Yes, assessment of important of a lead is made by the team and in this case the team assessed relevant leads and followed up.

Q: You agree that the group formed TAG Spring board subsequent to the discussions was relevant into your investigation? 

A: I can’t recall, what was relevant was what we pursued… 

Q: You can’t recall that the group as formed subsequent to the discussions of Arab Spring? 

A: I do.

Q: The content of discussions on TAG Spring board were purely democracy oriented?

A: I can’t recall for spring board. 

Q: The reason you refused to disclose the content of the WhatsApp conversation on TAG Spring board page was because it exposes your case that A10 abetted coup d’état? 

A: False.

Q: In fact, as part of discussion on TAG Spring board the participants brought in a senior lawyer called Dotse Fred to advise them on how to interpret the Constitution? 

A: I don’t recall anything like that but as indicated the WhatsApp groups relevant to this case were what we investigated.

Q: The investigative team found out in discussions between A1 and A10, A1 was tasked to contact one Sampson? 

A: I don’t recall.

Q: The said Sampson was a lawyer whose full name is Sampson Lardi Ayenine?

A: I don’t know that neither did any of the accused bring that to our attention. 

Q: If you had done a thorough investigation with a fair mind these matters would have been investigated by you, true or false?

A: False, we did a thorough investigation and the process was very fair?

Q: Another reason for which A10 was charged by your team was because he provided a draft speech for an intended demonstration true or false?

A: True.