The Accra Circuit Court 4 has ordered the release of Shatta Wale’s and his colleagues’ cell phones, which are still in police custody.
Jerry Avenorgbo, the lawyer for both the dancehall artiste and his team members, told judge Emmanuel Essandor that the things were seized upon his clients’ detention and have not been released since.
He maintained that his clients are lifestyle and entertainment figures who rely heavily on their cell phones and that the police’s continued denial of access to them jeopardizes their survival.
According to Jerry Avenorgbo, all of the information the police would need for their investigation is already on social media; thus, searching his clients’ phones would be a violation of their privacy.
As a result, Judge Emmanuel Essandor decided that “it is not the work of the defense to help the prosecution to do their case. After all, the accused is presumed innocent until proven otherwise. The phones of the accused should be released to them. The alleged offenses were allegedly made on social media.”
The case has been adjourned until December 7, 2021.
Meanwhile, the prosecutor in the case, Chief Inspector Dennis Terpketey, has informed the Court that new information about the case is surfacing.
He revealed that the police had begun a hunt for a suspect who was on the run and that the person’s ultimate capture may affect the facts of the case.
He asked the court to postpone the hearing until next week when the State and his team would have submitted their documents.
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