Police meet press on justice administration
Accra (Greater Accra) 15 December 2001 - The Fast Track Court (FTC) hearing the Quality Grain case, on Friday dismissed an application by the defence for stay of proceedings for seven days pending an appeal against the court’s ruling that four of the five accused persons have a case to answer.
The court, presided over by Mr Justice Kwame Afreh said the Constitutional Instrument (C.I.), which the defence argued on, applied to civil cases and not criminal ones.
Besides that the court said that provision in law, applied to stay of execution of judgement and not stay of proceedings. He, therefore, asked the four to answer the charges against them on Wednesday, December 6.
At this juncture, Mr Kwaku Baah, on behalf of the other counsel, appealed to the judge to give them time till early January 2002, for the accused persons to prepare their defence.
The court refused the long adjournment and asked them to come next Wednesday to answer the charges. On December 19 the court ruled that the prosecutions had established prima facie case against the five persons after the defence had made submissions of "no case" against them.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, four of the five accused persons appealed against the December 6 date and applied to the court to stay proceedings until the determination of the appeal.
The court refused the application and the defence invoked the law, under which according to them, they were entitled to seven days of stay of proceedings. The fifth person, Dr Samuel Dapaah, a former senior public official, however expressed his preparedness to open his defence.
The other accused persons are Ibrahim Adam, former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Kwame Peprah, former Finance Minister, Dr George Yankey and Nana Ato Dadzie, both senior public officials. They had pleaded not guilty to two counts of conspiracy and wilfully causing financial loss to the state.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 15 December 2001 - Mr Kwaku Baako Junior, Editor of the Crusading Guide on Friday said apart from the role of the Mass Media to entertain, inform and educate the public, one of its key roles was to ensure that the government was accountable to the society at large.
This role, stated in the Constitution, is very vital in ensuring the proper dispensation of justice, Mr Baako said at a symposium held in Accra on: "The role of the press in the administration of justice" aimed at enhancing co-operation between the press and the Police service.
He said justice formed the core of progress in the society. "A society that lacks justice is one that cannot move forward," he said.
He noted that the Police service was an important strategic institution of state without which it would be impossible to run the country. There was, therefore, the need for the Police to avoid compromising their integrity in the dispensation of justice.
This could be done if the Police reserved a certain range of capacity to itself in order to avoid becoming mere tools of propaganda for powerful individuals and organisations.
Mr Baako said the Police became most vulnerable to compromising their standards especially during periods of dictatorial rule adding that there was, therefore, the need for the Police to strengthen their legal department in order for them to always act within the law, irrespective of who might be asking them to carry out an order.
There was also the need for the Police to be more co-operative with the press in giving out information, adding that this could go a long way in enhancing trust between the two bodies.
Mr Ben Ephson, Editor of the Dispatch, said although the Police Service was facing several problems, there was the need for it check on some of the inefficiencies within it.
In as much as the press did not take delight in publishing negative news about the Police, it was sometimes necessary to publish practices within the service that needed to be made known to other members of the service and the society as a whole.
Mr Ephson said it was sometimes better to publish wrongdoings, since allowing them to go unnoticed could adversely affect the society.
This kind of publishing did not only affect Police personnel but any person from any sector of the society, who engages in misconduct in any way, including pressmen, he said.
Mr Johnson Abudu, Commissioner of Police in charge of Human Resource Development, said as human institutions, both the Mass Media and the Police had weaknesses that needed to be dealt with.
In order to perform better services, the Police needed to re-examine themselves and to make corrections where necessary, he said.
Mr Abudu said the police had to be well educated on ethical issues in order to enhance trust and co-operation between the service, the public and the press.
Chief Superintendent Kofi Boakye, Accra Central Divisional Commander of Police, noted that although the criminal justice system included the Police, courts and prisons, the police service was the most open to criticism due to its constant contact with the masses.
He stated that since negative news items attracted a higher level of readership than positive ones, bad news about the Police often got published at a much faster pace than good news.
Chief Supt. Boakye said in reporting on the Police, there was the need for the press to ensure that they did not unnecessarily taint the image of the service. "A genuine press with interest in the good of the people does not seek to pull down but to improve and build," he said.
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