GRi In Court 19-02-99

Accra (Greater Accra), 19 Feb 

Miss Maria Socorro Aranetta, an American businesswoman, who was duped of 330,000 dollars by four persons in a gold deal, on Thursday told an Accra circuit court that she met one of the accused in California, U.S., who promised to sell her 150 kilograms of alluvial gold dust.

Miss Aranetta, the first prosecution, witness, was testifying in the case in which Nana Kweku Anim-Addo, Charles Kwabena Kusi and Kofi Edusei, all directors of Dredge Masters Limited , a mining company and Alhaji Abubakari Marga, a businessman, are charged with five counts of conspiracy, defrauding by false pretences and forgery of documents.

On trial with the accused persons is their mining company.

They have all pleaded not guilty and are in custody.

Led in evidence by Mr Theophilus Codjoe, a prosecutor at the office of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Miss Aranetta said on November 24, 1997, Anim-Addo went to California where her business associate, Mr Salam Hahadbi, introduced him as a businessman in Ghana.

Witness said Anim-Addo told her that he was an "agent" of the Government, chairman of the board of Royal Goldfields Limited, a mining company, an exporter of precious minerals and a traditional ruler. Anim-Addo said he also owned several mineral concessions and mines in Ghana.

Miss Aranetta said Anim-Addo again told her that he had 150 kilograms of alluvial gold dust ready to be shipped outside Ghana.

Miss Aranetta said she and her family agreed to do business with Anim-Addo and expressed the desire to enter into joint venture with him.

Witness said on November 27, 1997, Anim-Addo left California for Ghana and in March, 1998, he called her on phone and they both discussed the possibility of going into partnership with her company, Sanpatuita Global Incorporated.

She said the accused person told her that he had set up a new mining company, Dredge Masters, which would do business with her company.

Miss Aranetta said Anim-Addo again told her in May, 1998, that he would send all relevant documents covering the export of the 150 kilograms of the gold to her in California.

Hearing continues on Monday, February 22.

Koforidua (Eastern Region), 19 Feb. 

A Koforidua community tribunal has sentenced Charles Owusu, an 18-year-old unemployed, to six months' imprisonment for stealing a cassock and 10,000 cedis of the pastor of the Osiem Saviour Church.

Passing sentence, the tribunal chaired by Mr Asare Duah, said when Owusu first appeared before it on January 27, this year, he gave a doubthful age of 17 and that the tribunal ordered the police to investigate his age.

He said on Owusu's second reappearance, he changed his age from 17 to 18 years.

Mr Asare said in view of the report submitted to the court by the police from his family pegging Owusu's age as between 19 and 20, and the tribunal considered Owusu as an adult.

Owusu was said to have stolen the cassock and the money from a drying line on the compound of the Saviour Church at Osiem during the church's annual congregation last month.

Koforidua (Eastern Region), 19 Feb.  

Two salesmen of the Koforidua branch of Meridian Tobacco Company were yesterday brought before the Koforidua circuit tribunal for allegedly embezzling a total of 59 million cedis belonging to the company.

John Addy, is charged with embezzling 30 million cedis being the value of sold cigarrettes he could not account for while Emmanuel Marquaye faces a 29 million cedis charge.

They pleaded not guilty and were remanded in custody to reappear on February 22.

Prosecuting police Superintendent Rose Atinga, said the two persons were on February eighth, this year, allocated cartons of cigarettes to be distributed to customers in Nkwakaw and Kade, in the Eastern region.

Marquaye, who went to Kade returned on February 12, and claimed that he had been robbed of all cash on him by assailants while returning to Koforidua.

Supt. Atinga told the court that Addy also returned on February 13 to claim that he had also been robbed of all cash on him although he was instructed to deposit any cash on him with a bank at Nkawkaw.

Supt Atinga said the police are continuing further investigations into the case

Atebubu (Brong Ahafo) 19 Feb 

A 47-year-old ex-convict, Henry Kofi Anim-Blankson, who eloped with a Roman Catholic nun to Nigeria, has been sentenced to four years' imprisonment in hard labour by an Atebubu Community Tribunal on his own plea of guilty to three counts of stealing, fraud and posing as a reverend minister.

The Prosecutor told the tribunal, chaired by Mr Adu-Twum Mmorosah, that Anim-Blankson, introduced himself to Mr Prosper Afesi, secretary of the Continuation Apostolic Church at Atebubu as a Reverend Henry Parker, a pastor based in Switzerland and was on holidays in the Ghana.

Mr Owusu said the accused later brought out a video cassette on his pastoral activities which both of them viewed. Based on this, Mr Afesi became convinced that he was a reverend minister, and therefore, when accused demanded 500,000 cedis from him (Afesi) for charity, Mr Afesi readily obliged.

The prosecutor said after collecting the money, the accused asked Mr Afesi to accompany him to Kumasi for a refund from a friend. When both went to Kumasi, and got down from a taxi they had boarded, the accused quickly boarded the same taxi again and sped off with some documents and a bag belonging to Mr Afesi.

Chief Inspector Owusu said sometime last month, the Police at Mampong-Ashanti arrested the accused, who was alleged to have eloped with a Roman Catholic nun, Sister Georgina Yaa Achiaa, and when Mr Afesi got the information, he went reported to the Police.