Colonel Samuel Kodzo Gameli, a senior military officer, has opened up for the first time since being acquitted and discharged of high treason and abetment of crime charges by an Accra High Court, exactly a year ago.
Col. Gameli, alongside Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Dr. Benjamin Agordzo (A10) and Corporal Seidu Abubakar (A7) was cleared of the accusations by a three-member panel of justices – Afia Serwaa Asare Botwe, Hafisata Amaleboba and Stephen Oppong.
However, others involved in the case, including Donya Kafui, alias Ezor (A2), Bright Alan Debrah (A3), Johannes Zikpi (A4), Warrant Officer Class II Esther Saan Dekuwine (A6), Lance Corporal Ali Solomon (A8) and Corporal Sylvester Akakpewon (A 9) were found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging.
The first accused (A1), Dr Frederick Mac Palm, who allegedly masterminded the attempted overthrow of the Akufo-Addo administration, died before the trial was concluded.
In an interview with The Chronicle, Col. Gameli recounted the difficulties he has faced since the conclusion of the four-year trial, describing it as an “unforgivable and unforgettable ordeal.”
He claimed the trial and its aftermath seemed premeditated by some elements within the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
A Planned Ordeal
Col. Gameli revealed that after the court judgment, his legal team petitioned the military high command for his immediate reinstatement. Two months after his reinstatement, he was swiftly directed to proceed on leave and eventually retired.
“It looks like this was already planned by …(name and position withheld )” he said. “I am now an unprepared pensioner lingering in the wilderness after 30 years of service and four years of a gruesome trial. I was really cheated.”
Calls for Compensation
According to Col. Gameli, his lawyer also demanded adequate compensation, citing the following grievances:
Lack of promotion for four years during the trial;
An abrupt end to his military career through no fault of his own;
Missed United Nations peacekeeping opportunities that could have prepared him financially for retirement;
Despite these efforts, the military has yet to respond to the compensation demands.
Struggles Post-Trial
The retired colonel disclosed that he had to exhaust his savings to cover legal fees, leaving him struggling to complete his house and in debts.
“This Christmas has been difficult for me and my family,” he said, adding “I had to use part of my back pay to pay legal fees, and now I’m trying to finish my house with difficulty.”
Col. Gameli added that his lawyer plans to revisit the matter when the time is right, potentially collaborating with the lawyers of his co-defendants.
