1.
SV Sign over Burma Hall "Military Tribunal"
0.03

2.
SV Mr. John Alex-Hamah out of land-rover, walks towards Burma Hall
0.14

3.
GV Soldiers outside hall
0.16

4.
GV Judge Advocate, Mr. Justice George Francois, arriving with tribunal members
0.21

5.
CU Sign "Silence Military Tribunal in Progress"
0.24

6.
GV Tribunal seated at table
0.27

7.
SV Defence Counsel seated
0.30

8.
CU Francois, and Col. K. Osei-Boateng
0.32

9.
SV Prosecuting Counsel, Mr. Gyeke-Dako
0.37

10.
GV Public listening
0.40

11.
SV Counsel speaking
0.43

12.
CU Alex-Hamah seated listening
0.50

13.
SV Prosecuting Counsel speaking
0.53

14.
SV Francois and Osei-Boateng
0.54

15.
CU Osei-Boateng
0.58

16.
CU Col. Kotei, prosecution witness
1.02

17.
SV Kotei with Prosecuting Counsel in background
1.09

18.
SV Alex-Hamah with Counsel in B/G.
1.12

19.
OPTICAL WIPE TO SV Five prisoners lined up
1.18


GV Tribunal
1.22

21.
CU One prisoner seated, one standing
1.26

22.
SV Chairman of tribunal
1.30

23.
SV Prisoner in suit seated PAN TO other prisoners
1.34

24.
GV Counsel seated at table
1.36

25.
GV Convicted men leave court with escort
1.41

26.
GV EXT Burma Hall as Judge and tribunal members leave
1.52

27.
Prisoners into car and PAN one of accused hugged by relation, then into car
2.06



Initials BB/2132 AS/CD/BB/2152



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: A military tribunal is being held in Accra to hear the last of two cases against six men, charged with plotting to overthrow the ruling National Redemption Council.

The verdict on the first case was delivered on Wednesday (19 Dec.). Three of the five men on trial were sentenced to death after they had been found guilty of subversion. The three men, Alhaji Imoru Ayarna (former leader of the now disbanded People's Action Party), Kojo Botsio (former government minister during the Nkurmah regime) and John Tettogah (ex-Secretary-General of the All-African Trades Union Federation), are to be executed by firing squad. The fourth man, journalist Albert Kwaku Owusu-Boateng, was sentenced to thirty years in jail with hard labour, after he had been found guilty on a charge of concealment of conspiracy. Air Force Major Alexander Awuviri had earlier been acquitted and discharged after the tribunal had found him not guilty of the charge of concealment of conspiracy.

According to the prosecution, the men on trial had planned to stage a coup to overthrow the government on 29 August, but security agencies had uncovered the plot.

A second trial is before the military tribunal and is still in progress. The defendant is Mr. John Alex-Hamah, a former Trade Union leader, whose trial began on Tuesday (19 December). Like the other five men, Mr. Alex-Hamah is faced with a conspiracy charge. According to the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Alex-Hamah asked Colonel Robert Kotei, Commander of the Ist Infantry Brigade, to assist him in his plan to overthrow the National Redemption Council. Counsel also told the six-man tribunal Colonel Kotei was given a cocoa sack containing 50,000 kedi (about 18,888 sterling) by Mr. Alex-Hamah, as an inducement to assist in the coup.