Businesswoman held for possessing heroine
Twelve armed robbers sentenced to life imprisonment
Accra (Greater Accra) 08 August 2001
A prosecution witness on Wednesday said between April 1998 and March this year, 20,865,823.07 dollars was transferred into the account of Quality Grain Company at the South Trust Bank in Atlanta, United States.
Mr Andrews Kingsley Kwadwo Pufe, Director of Finance in charge of preparation of public debt on public accounts at the Controller and Accountant-General's Department (CAG), said the payments were made through the Bank of Ghana (BOG) on instructions from the Ministry of Finance (MOF).
Mr Pufe was giving evidence in a case in which Kwame Peprah, former Finance Minister, Ibrahim Adam, former Food and Agriculture Minister and four others are standing trial at the Fast Track Court, charged with conspiracy and causing financial loss to the state.
Mr Pufe said Peprah signed some of the documents covering payment instructions while others were signed by then Acting Chief Directors on behalf of the Minister.
Witness said the latest transfer of 739,450.71 dollars was made on March 29, this year for which Major M.S. Tarra (RTD) former Chief Director signed the payment instruction.
He tendered in evidence all documents covering the transactions. The other accused persons are, Dr Samuel Dapaah, Dr George Yankey, Nana Ato Dadzie and Kwesi Ahwoi, all former senior Public officials.
They have all pleaded not guilty and each of them is on a self-recognisance bail.
Cross-examined by Mr Kwaku Baah, Counsel for Peprah, witness agreed that all signatories to the payment instructions acted officially.
Mr Pufe agreed again that all the monies transferred were debited to the company and that the transactions were a "debtor/creditor" relationship according to an agreement between the two parties.
Witness said he could not tell whether at the time Major Tarra signed the payment instructions, the present Minister of Finance has assumed duty and added that no more payments were made after March 29, this year.
He said he took over the schedule for the company in 1998 and that he did not know what might have transpired previously neither did he know the terms of agreement between the government and the company. Hearing continues on Monday, August 13.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 08 August 2001
Agnes Yeboah, alias Afua Abrafi, a businesswoman, was on Tuesday arraigned before an Accra Regional Tribunal for possessing narcotic drugs.
The three-member tribunal chaired by Mr Justice Adu Gyamfi granted Yeboah bail in the sum of 20 million cedis with a surety to be justified, after she had pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The next hearing was fixed for Tuesday, August 14.
The prosecution said on July 15th security personnel arrested the accused at the last checkpoint of the Kotoka International Airport as she was about to board a KLM flight to Amsterdam.
When a search was conducted on her, a whitish substance believed to be heroine weighing 1.2 kilogrammes was found in her shoes and brassiere.
A forensic test by the Ghana standards Board proved it was heroine.
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Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 08 August 2001
Mr George Adu-Mensah, former District Chief Executive (DCE) for Adansi West has filed a writ at a Kumasi High Court jointly and severally against Mr Sebastian R. Freiku, Ashanti Regional Editor, Mr Ben Kese Antwi, acting Editor, both of the Ghanaian Chronicle and the Chronicle Media Limited for libel.
The writ is seeking an injunction to restrain each of the defendants from further writing or editing or printing or circulating or causing to be written or edited or printed or circulated or otherwise publishing of the plaintiff the libel or any similar libel.
In his statement of claim, Mr Adu-Mensah said in the Friday, May 4 to Sunday, May 6, 2001 edition of the paper, the defendants falsely and maliciously wrote, edited, printed and published a story with the headline "SFO launch probe of Adansi West Assembly".
The statement said the story went on to say: "Following a tip-off, the Chronicle has come across fresh evidence of former DCE's latest acquisition".
It said Mr Adu-Mensah during the elections between December 7 and December 28 last year, hurriedly acquired a 75 million-cedi house at Adabraka, a suburb of Kumasi from one Rose Amanano, a former employee of the SSB Bank Limited, Obuasi and Johnson's Forex Bureau in Kumasi.
The story, according to the statement said, the former DCE on acquisition quickly created a fence round the house and that it is currently being occupied by his relatives while work on the erection and fixing of iron gates as well as painting had been suspended for sometime now at the time Chronicle visited there.
The statement said the publication meant that Mr Adu-Mensah had dishonestly abused his office by enriching himself and had been guilty of fraud and dishonest conduct in carrying out his functions as DCE of Adansi West district assembly.
It said the story portrayed him as a swindler and a common thief, who had used his office to unlawfully and criminally acquire property and ought not to be employed in any capacity.
The publication, he said has gravely injured him and will continue to injure his credit, character and reputation and he has been brought into public scandal, ridicule and contempt.
GRi../
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Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 08 August 2001
Twelve armed robbers who operated in the Ashanti Region between 1998 and 2000 have been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment each by a Kumasi High Court at separate trials.
They were found guilty of conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery. They were Kofi Adutwum alias Razak, Anthony Yaw Abanyiwea, Nsorbilla Anaaba alias "Agoro", Baba Yakubu alias "Obolo" and Salifu Seidu alias "Sardor," who robbed the Amansie West Rural Bank at Antoakrom in July 1999.
Six others led by Umaru Alagubah robbed one Mahmoud Usif of 150 million cedis, 10,000 pounds, 6.5 million CFA and 1,000 Deutch Marks in July 1999.
Kennedy Kwadwo Kusi, who robbed Kwame Boamah of 14.5 million cedis and an Atwima Rural Bank Cheque with a face value of two million cedis, was also sentenced to life imprisonment.
In the case of the Antoakrom robbery, Mr Agyemang Duodu, a Senior State Attorney, told the court presided over by Justice Mariama Owusu, that in July 1999, the accused persons and four others now at large, armed with single barrelled guns, pump action gun and Uzi sub-machine gun went to Antoakrom in a taxicab and a Nissan pickup.
The robbers took the watchman and a few people on the street hostage and threatened to kill them if they made any attempt to escape and fired indiscriminately to scare off other people.
Mr Duodu said the robbers then broke into the bank's strong room and made away with the safe containing 35.8 million cedis, a Yamaha generator, 10 rechargeable lanterns and other property belonging to the bank, deflated tyres of some vehicles parked near the bank and fled.
On their way, he said, they branched into a side road and broke open the safe and shared the money.
However, Mr Duodu said, 10 days later, they were arrested and they led the Police and Military personnel to Suame in Kumasi to recover the Yamaha generator, the safe, the taxicab and electrical gadgets.
In the case of Alagubah and the five others whose names were not immediately available to the GNA, they robbed Usif of the various sums of money in July 1999.
Regarding Kennedy Kusi, Mr Otchere Antwi, Principal State Attorney, told the court that in December 1999, Kwame Boama was checking money to pay one of his suppliers at Asokwa at about 17:00 hour when Danso, a casual friend, who was holding mobile phone visited him.
Mr Antwi said not quite long, another person Kusi introduced to Boamah as his friend came to the store and they stood outside.
Boamah after checking the money, kept it in his bag and decided to drive to Asokwa and Kusi pleaded with him to give the friend a lift to the Kumasi Sports Stadium.
When they got to the Stadium, Mr Antwi said, the man asked Boamah to put him behind the Scoreboard area and while he was heading towards the area, a white car crossed him forcing him to stop.
Five armed men together with the accused came out of the car and together with the one in the car asked him to get out, they called him a thief and asked him to run away, the Prosecutor told the court.
Mr Antwi said Boamah, therefore, abandoned his car and the money and the cheque and fled and the accused and his collaborators took the money and bolted.
Boamah made a report to the Police and the Buffalo Unit arrested Kusi but they could not get his accomplices.
GRi../