Six people have been found guilty of conspiracy to commit high treason and committing high treason by a High Court in Ghana, in relation to an alleged coup plot to overthrow the government.

The six are Donya Kafui, alias Ezor, Bright Allan Debrah Ofosu, Yohannes Zikpi, Warrant Officer Class Two Esther Saan Dekuwine, Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, and Corporal Sylvester Akanpewon.

They were part of a group of ten accused of plotting to destabilise the country and overthrow President Nana Akufo-Addo in 2019.

However, three of the accused, Assistant Commissioner of Police Benjamin Agordzo, Colonel Samuel Kodzo Gameli, and Corporal Seidu Abubakar, were acquitted and discharged by the court on Wednesday.

The tenth accused, Dr. Frederick Yao Mac-Palm, the late Chief Executive Officer of Citadel Hospital, died in custody in October 2020. His testimony was removed from the records by the court.

The judgment, delivered by a three-member panel of judges, was scheduled for November 22, 2023, after the submission of written arguments by the prosecution and the defence.

The prosecution, led by Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame, presented 13 witnesses, including seven soldiers, to prove their case.

The defence team, composed of lawyers from Legal Aid and private practitioners, argued that the accused were innocent and that the evidence was insufficient and fabricated.

The court, presided over by Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, found that the prosecution had established beyond reasonable doubt that the six convicted persons had conspired and acted together to overthrow the government by force.

The court also found that ACP Agordzo, Colonel Gameli, and Corporal Abubakar had no direct involvement in the plot and that their actions did not amount to abetment.

The court adjourned the case to December 15, 2023, for sentencing.

The convicted persons face a maximum penalty of death by hanging, according to the Criminal Offences Act of Ghana.

The alleged coup plot was uncovered by a joint operation by the Bureau of National Investigations and the Defence Intelligence in September 2019.

The security agencies claimed that they had seized several weapons, explosives, and ammunition from a makeshift hospital in Alajo, a suburb of Accra, where Dr. Mac-Palm and his accomplices were planning to execute their plan.

The security agencies also alleged that the accused had planned to target key installations, such as the Jubilee House, the seat of the presidency, the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, the police headquarters, and the military barracks.

The accused denied the charges and maintained that they were victims of political persecution and witch-hunt.

The trial, which began in June 2021, attracted public attention and controversy, as it involved senior police and military officers, who were accused of supporting the plot.

The case also raised questions about the state of security and democracy in Ghana, which is widely regarded as a stable and peaceful country in West Africa.