Semanhyia Runs Riot In Court

Adwoa Semanhyia, the manager of Semanhyia Herbal Clinic, a popular herbal clinic in Kasoa, near Accra, who is standing trial in an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly selling unapproved drugs, yesterday threatened the prosecuting officer DSP Cletus Abadamloora. The accused person invoked the wrath of God on the prosecuting officer and prayed to God to punish him after which she vowed to �teach him a lesson� he would never forget. Pointing her fingers to the ground and lifting them to the heavens, the accused person told DSP that God would deal with him for prosecuting the case even though she was innocent and accused him of being a wicked man who wants her to be jailed. Adwoa angrily moved towards the prosecutor and told him in the face that he would be punished by God for taking her and the husband Stephen Arko to court especially after he had been told that the husband had nothing to do with the case. She stated in Twi that �Nyame Be Di Masem Amami� to wit �God will judge this case for me�. The accused person, who expressed dissatisfaction with the prosecution of his husband for preventing the Food and Drugs Board (FDB) officers from entering their clinic, said he was intentionally charged just to get at her. Not even the explanation by the prosecutor DSP Abdamloora and the investigator that they were only doing their job could stop the woman, who accused the FDB boss of being a puppet for some politicians in the country. After more than 15minutes the lady and her husband left the court�s premises together. At yesterday�s hearing the prosecuting officer prayed the court, presided over by Eric Kyei Baffuor, to adjourn the case since he had concluded investigations and would be ready for hearing to start. The case was subsequently adjourned to September 13 2011. Adwoa has pleaded not guilty to prohibited advertisement and control of manufacturing of drugs, sale of prohibited drugs or chemical substance, registration of herbal and homeopathic drugs. She was granted bail in the sum of GH�20,000 with two sureties. Adowa�s husband, who pleaded not guilty to obstruction of justice, was granted a GH�5,000 bail with two sureties. Presenting the facts of the case, DSP Cletus Abadamloora told the court that on April 29, 2011, the FDB officials received a complaint that Semanhyia Herbal Clinic operated by Adwoa was manufacturing and distributing herbal products which were not registered with the board. He said a team of officers from the board were assigned to go to the clinic and inspect it but the second accused person, Arko unlawfully obstructed the officers from entering the clinic and noted that when the officers finally got in they did not meet Adwoa. The prosecutor said a search conducted at the clinic revealed unregistered herbal products such as 215 bottles of Sem Sikowa capsules, 57 bottles Ex-Power capsules, 135 bottles of Sem Gono capsules, 46 bottles of Sem Piles Capsules, 96 bottles of Sem Menstrual capsules, 27 bottles of Sem Stroke capsules, three bottles do Sem Hernia Capsules, four bottles of Sem Vagi Clean capsules, two bottles of Sem Fever Syrup and one bottle of SEM Typhoid medicine. The police officer noted that due to the fact that the above-mentioned herbal products were not registered, their safety and efficacy could not be guaranteed so they were seized for testing. Furthermore he said it was detected that a number of signboards and billboards, not vetted by the FDB were being used by the Semanhyia couple to advertise their products to the general public for treatment of diseases without approval from the FDB. The police officer stated that a report was made to the Narcotics Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters for investigation and Adwoa was arrested and arraigned before court after police investigations.