London, UK, Accra Daily Mail — Georgette Dede Djaba, a UK-based lawyer, has filed documents in the UK justice system to bring NDC founder, ex-Flt. Lt. Rawlings to book. Ms Djaba says her action was the outcome of instructions she received from an aggrieved party about two years ago.
The case against the NDC founder is for alleged wrongful death of three Ghanaian judges and other human right abuses which occurred during the eras of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC).
An original story filed by Ghanadot said Ms Djaba is joined as claimant by others, namely her father, Henry Djaba (Sr), Hans Djaba, Henry Djaba (Jr), and Kwabena Agyepong, currently running as a presidential candidate in Ghana.
The “Instructions to Counsel” were put before Lord Justice Ford last Friday, who thought them serious enough to ask Ms. Djaba to first report to the police. Miss Djaba who first went to Scotland Yard, later presented the case to the Holborn Police Station.
Georgette Djaba is a prominent civic figure in the Ghanaian community in the UK . In addition to being a lawyer, she is also the chairperson for a voluntary group, Family Resolution, an organization that helps to promote proper parenting skills so as to stop anti-social behaviour among youngsters in Islington.
In the instructions ex-Flt. Lt. Rawlings was accused of criminal offences and torture “including abuse of human rights of a significant nature.”
The instructions noted that the military coup that brought Rawlings and the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) to power in 1979 also led to the killing of three former military heads of state and five other senior members of the Ghana Armed Forces. These officials were executed by firing squad without fair trial or rights of appeal in contravention of all international standards for fair trial.
The instructions further claim that “J. J. Rawlings ordered the brutal murders of three Ghanaian high court judges, namely Justice Koranteng-Addo, Justice Agyepong and Justice Sarkodie among others.
Justice is being pursued in the following manner: that ex-Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings be stripped of his immunity from prosecution and that “he be prosecuted for human rights abuses, mass murders, causing death, suffering, deprivation, causing death by firing squad in 1979 of 3 former heads of state of Ghana, including General Akwasi Amankwaa Afrifa, General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, General F. W. K Akuffo and an order for Rawlings to be arrested and be prosecuted whilst present in the UK.”
The instructions cite precedence in the Pinochet rulings and his consequent loss of immunity as grounds for prosecuting of the case in the UK .
Source: GhanaWeb
