Last Updated: Saturday, 19 July 2008, 7:51 GMT
Ghanaians living in Cuba have appealed to the President and the Minister
of Foreign Affairs to intervene in the illegal sentencing of a Ghanaian
pharmacist, who was wrongly charged with human trafficking.
Making the appeal through The Chronicle, the Ghanaian community in Cuba
called on the appropriate Ghanaian authorities to immediately cause
their own investigation into the imprisonment of the victim, Mr.
Lawrence Zogli Goka, in Havana, Cuba.
Spokesperson for the Ghanaians living in Cuba, Robert Fakye, said
Lawrence Zogli is a Ghanaian citizen who resides in the Commonwealth of
The Bahamas and a registered Pharmacist, and a key member of the
Ghanaian community in the Caribbean Island. He is also a father of two.
On October 25th, 2005, Lawrence arrived in Havana to visit his Cuban
girlfriend, Angela, and their newly born baby girl, Laura, in Villa
Clara, a province in Cuba. He also intended to obtain a copy of his
academic transcript from his former school in Cuba, the University of
Camaguey, to pursue his PhD in Pharmacy.
While waiting for his rented car at the airport to pick him up, he was
approached by a Bahamian friend who asked him to help transport a
Chinese citizen from Havana to Camaguey, since he (Lawrence) was also
going there.
Mr. Fakye stated that on November 1, 2005, Angela was informed by the
Cuban State Police that her boyfriend, Lawrence, had been detained in
Camaguey for his alleged involvement in human trafficking.
He was detained for two weeks during which he was interrogated for the
alleged crime, but he insisted on his innocence.
He was later transferred to Havana, where he was remanded until he made
court appearance in January, last year.
According to the group, the Ghana Embassy in Cuba was notified about his
incarceration.
Subsequently, a Cuban state lawyer, named Malvis Avila Rodriguez, was
contracted by them to help defend the case. However, during the legal
proceedings the lawyer failed in her attempt to obtain bail or release
for the accused.
In January 2007, Mr. Zogli was tried in Camaguey and sentenced to nine
years in prison. Since then multiple appeals have been filed but to no
avail.
Source: Ghanaian Chronicle
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