Judges’ murder case…killers
in trouble
Security
personnel expose elderly women’s use in drug deals
Our
Tourist President off again to Brisbane
Judges’ murder case…killers in
trouble
Accra
(Greater Accra) 12 February 2002 - Contrary to public expectation that the
mysterious murder of the three High Court Judges and a retired Army Officer
will go before the National Reconciliation Commission, the Statesman can
authoritatively reveal that the murder case will not be part of the
Commission’s agenda. To this end, the perpetrators of the heinous crime will
face the consequences of their action.
The three
High Court Judges, Justices Cecilia Koranteng Addow, Kwadwo Adjei Agyepong and
Fred Poku Sarkodee with Major (Rtd) Sam Acquah, were abducted and murdered in
cold blood by agents of the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC), headed
by Ex-Flt Lt. Jerry Rawlings on June 30, 1982, six months after the violent
overthrow of the Limann administration.
However,
the PNDC government denied responsibility of the action, inferring that the
murder was undertaken by some disgruntled elements within the government. Up
till today, nobody has accepted responsibility.
With this
background in mind, The Statesman has learnt that the National Reconciliation
Commission cannot deal with cases of individual criminalities, especially when
the state is not involved. The Commission has the mandate to investigate and
arbitrate in a matter against individuals whose actions, though inimical, were
carried out in the exercise of their powers conferred on them by the state as
provided in the Transitional Provisions.
According
to Clause 34 (2) of the Indemnity Clause of the Transitional Provisions, which
provides protection for any act or omission during the administration of the
PNDC, “It is not lawful for any court or tribunal to entertain any action or
take decision or make any order or grant any remedy or relief in any
proceedings instituted against the Government of Ghana whether before or after
the coming into force of this Constitution or against any person or persons
acting in concert or individually to assist or bring about the change in
government which took place on February 24, 1966, January 13, 1972, June 4,
1979 and December 31, 1981 in respect of any act or omission.”
The Judges
and the Army officer were murdered by people close to the PNDC regime but were
denounced by the leadership of the government, which subsequently set up the
Special Investigation Board (SIB), leading to the trial of Amartey Kwei and
others. Emerging evidence reveals that Jerry Rawlings and his wife Nana Konadu
may not go scot-free. The faces behind the heinous crime would soon be exposed
and face the full rigours of the law.
The
Statesman learnt that at the time, Amedeka, who led the assassination team but
eventually escaped through a jailbreak, and the rest of his team did not know
the import of their mission until a voice through walkie-talkie told him that
they should finish the victims.
Kwabena
Agyepong, son of one of the three judges, revealed that there was overwhelming
evidence implicating Rawlings and his wife. Said he: “The weight of evidence
implicating Jerry Rawlings and wife Nana Konadu is simply overwhelming.
Amartey
Kwei, on the eve of his execution made a confession in the prison chapel of
Usher Fort in the presence of Rev Damuah, Lt. Cdr. Asase Gyimah, senior prisons
officials and some commandos.”
The
confession, Agyepong noted, produced startling results with Amartey Kwei specifically
naming Jerry Rawlings and Nana Konadu as the people who actually instigated and
authorized the operation. Amartey Kwei made other statements repudiating his
earlier evidence before the SIB and made a last wish that his body be returned
to his family after the execution. But this was never fulfilled.
Stunned by
this development, Rawlings stormed the prison after being informed of it and
extracted a last minute confession from Amartey Kwei, after which he ordered
his execution to go on.
Another evidence
that needs to be examined is that of the Fiat Campagnola used for the
operation. The vehicle filled with petrol and ready for the operation was
parked at the residence of Nana Konadu at Ridge and the keys to it were picked
from her dining table. And upon completion of the operation Amartey Kwei
briefed the Rawlingses.
But the
most astonishing evidence that should set tongues wagging is of a meeting
between Rawlings and Justice Azu Crabbe, Chairman of the SIB. The meeting was
held at a house at Tesano, in the presence of two other persons. Agyepong said
of the meeting: “In those circumstances, the holding of such a meeting was a
most questionable act, made more so because the SIB made no attempt to run down
the crucial pieces of direct evidence connecting Rawlings and wife to these
gruesome deeds.”
Was the
meeting arranged to give Rawlings and wife a safe “passage,” despite the
circumstantial evidence deduced from the statement of Amartey Kwei? Amedeka
will assist in providing the evidence to the question in the weeks ahead. – The
Statesman.
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Totobi Quakyi denies TV3 ownership
Accra
(Greater Accra), 12 February 2002 - The Statesman of December 21, 2001 alleged
that “Totobi Quakyi owns TV3” through a business surrogate, Eddie Addo, with 30
per cent of Ghana’s first independent television network.
But in a
rejoinder to the story the former Minister of Information who sanctioned the
creation of TV3 says: “It is true that Mr Eddie Addo is my friend, Messrs Eddie
Addo, Kwasi Twum, Chief Executive of Joy FM and Twumasi, Managing director of
OTEC FM are a few examples of the many young enterprising Ghanaians whom I
encouraged in their endeavours in line with the forward-looking policy of the
former NDC government towards the private sector. “But it is certainly false to
create an impression that Winwat’s interests in TV3 are mine and that Mr Addo
is my front.”
This comes
in the very day that TV3 news issued a statement denying The Statesman’s story.
But The Statesman, aware that its integrity is at stake, is determined to go
behind the corporate veil to uncover beyond reasonable doubt the shady deals
that robbed Ghana much of its prized assets in, Ghana Film Industry
Corporation. (GFIC).
Whereas TV3 was a product of the divestiture of Ghana Film Industry
Corporation, the Ghana Government which sold 70 per cent of GFIC to a company
set up by Malaysia’s TV3, has no share in TV3. But under the 15-year deal,
whereas ownership of GAMA (the new company after GFIC) is to revert to the
state in 2010, it will not be part of the deal.
Information
reaching the Statesman indicates that TV3 owes GAMA millions of cedis, in
non-payment of rent for their offices in Kanda, Accra. But the management of at
GAMA, owning 70 per cent of TV3 has pointedly refused to collect rent.
According
to reports in the Malaysian media, the negotiation to set up TV3 preceded the
divestiture and that the decision to sell GFIC to TV3 Malaysia allowed GFIC’s property to serve merely as the facilitating vehicle
for the establishment of TV3 Ghana. In fact, the media reports suggest that
GFIC assets were divested to Sistem Television Malaysian Berhard (owners of TV3
Malaysia) well before the decision was announced locally and even to the
management of GFIC. TV3 Network Ltd, launched in 1997, is alien to the GAMA
agreement, but freely using properties belonging to the erstwhile GFIC.
Totobi
Quakyi, in response to The Statesman accusation that despite what the books
say, he is probably the beneficiary of the 30 per cent stake, says: “As the
then Minister of Information, I encouraged the GAMA joint-ventureship and the
setting up of an alternative private TV station with the best intentions. I did
and have not benefited directly or indirectly or in any form whatsoever from
the divestiture of the erstwhile Ghana Film Industry Corporation.”
Eddie
Addo, who also partly owns the publishing giant Unimax-Macmillan, has not made
any comment on the controversy surrounding his shares in TV3. The Statesman, as
reported on February 5, 2002, is reliably informed that the Malaysian
management of TV3 were putting pressure on him to refund the “loan” they gave
to him to acquire a 30 per cent share in the company.
Whilst
this was on Monday night denied by TV3, the Statesman fully stands by its story
and will reveal further facts on the matter in due course. This 30 per cent
stake “loan” however, increased the speculation on the likelihood that other
elements of probable political clout might have been behind Winmet, aside Eddie
Addo. For, Eddie Addo, being rich enough to pay for the 30 per cent, why would
the Malaysians offer to pay the money for him as “a loan” secretly, unless,
perhaps, it is surmised, he was merely fronting for people, whom because of
obvious reasons of political implications, were not able to come out.
The Joint
Venture Agreement, which divested GFIC, stated specifically that the assets
were on lease to GAMA film Company for 15 years. Clause 10.4 provided, that
“the majority shareholders shall not transfer any of their shares for a period
of fifteen years from the date of execution of this agreement without the
government of Ghana’s prior written consent.” There is no record of such
consent with regard to the setting up of TV3.
The
statement issued by the TV3 on Monday, a copy of which is yet to be given to
the Statesman, did very little to refute the allegations surrounding the
setting up and ownership of the television network. Moreover, TV3’s statement
does little to explain why NDC top men such as Totobi Quakyi and Spio Garbrah
still hold sway in the contents of political programmes to be aired.
Indeed,
Eddie Addo pleaded with Kofi Nyantakyi that in the name of political equity,
specifically after the Public Relations offensive by the President of the 31st
December Movement on the station’s in-house current affairs programme, ‘Hot
Issues’, that the network should allow David Ampofo’s interview with the former
First Lady to run for an hour. However, Spio Garbrah, according to TV3 sources
was among the NDC men who pressurized the management to even scrap the
programme, but failed. Statesman sources say that Eddie Addo is desperate to
cut off links with those spent political forces. – The Statesman
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Sadly, some
of our own people are helping the sex maniacs to destroy our society, by
accepting to work as their agents, for paltry gains,” he added. He referred to
a visit to Ho, a few weeks ago, by a group of Europeans who claimed to be
investors, but later turned out to be members of a sex racket who were assigned
to recruit teenage boys for desperate homosexuals.
Accra
(Greater Accra) 12 February 2002 - Security personnel at the Kotoka
International Airport (KIA) have busted a drug gang involving elderly women in
what has been described as a new trend in the illicit drug business.
Investigations
conducted by the Graphic indicate that the use of the old ladies is designed to
outwit the security agencies, since the practice of using young girls,
particularly students, is known to the security agents at the airport. But this
latest trick does not appear to be elusive after all. On Monday February 4,
this year, security personnel at the Kotoka International Airport busted a drug
gang of only women, which is operating in the country.
The arrest
of Ama Nyarkoa, 55, at the last security checkpoint of the Kotoka International
Airport when she allegedly attempted to smuggle 1.97 kilogrammes of heroin to
the United States of America later led to the arrest of two other women,
believed to be members of the gang.
The other
women helping the police in their investigations are Abena Oforiwaa, 65, the
supplier, and Comfort Akua Amankwaa, 56, alias Comfort Aidoo, whose passport
was being used. A fourth woman, Bright Boafo, said to be the niece of Oforiwaa,
who arrived from the US on December 17, last year and was scheduled to travel
back to the US last Sunday, is also helping the police in their investigations.
A Nigerian,
Mohammed Obasanjo, who is alleged to have supplied the drugs to Oforiwaa, is
being sought out. A Police source said Nyarkoa had allegedly concealed the
drugs in a draper and worn as if she was in her menstrual period.
Unfortunately, the security personnel at the last checkpoint became suspicious
on touching the draper and requested a thorough search on her.
The search
then revealed that the draper contained substance suspected to be drugs. When
she was questioned, she said the drugs were given to her by Oforiwaa to deliver
to some people in Baltimore, USA. She was given contact numbers of the people
whom she was to call on arrival. The source said the mention of Oforiwaa led to
her subsequent arrest by security personnel who traced her to her abode.
Oforiwaa on
her part, said the drugs were given to her by Mohammed Obasanjo, who asked her
to look for a courier for the drugs for a fee. She said Nyarkoa agreed to send
the drugs for $5,000. She is reported to have said that she met Obasanjo at a
phone booth during which they struck an acquaintance.
Oforiwaa
alleged that Obasanjo later provided a passport bearing the name of Comfort
Amankwaah to be given to whoever she would get as a courier. She told
investigators that she does not know the residence or contact telephone number
of Obasanjo and that he usually came to her house.
The source
said the security team traced the owner of the passport, Comfort Amankwaah, to
her residence. It said when she was told that her passport was being used by
somebody, she denied knowledge of the loss of her passport pointing out that
there has not been any burglary or break-in at her residence neither has the
drawer in which the passport was kept been tampered with.
It said the
police suspected her involvement in the deal and, therefore, arrested her to
assist in investigations. A source at the Narcotics Control Board confirmed the
story and said a test conducted on the substance indicated that it was heroin.
Police investigations continue. – Daily Graphic
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Takoradi residents shocked over bizarre end
of couple
Takoradi (Western Region) 12 February 2002 - Residents of Timber Bar, a suburb of Takoradi, have expressed shock and disbelief at the behaviour of a 46-year-old businessman, Joseph Tetteh Quaynor, alias TT, who allegedly shot and killed his wife, Svetlana Acquah, an employee of ECOBANK Ghana Ltd, Accra, and later committed suicide.
The suburb, which is noted for brisk business, was a pale shadow of itself Monday as residents and shop owners gathered in groups to discuss the tragedy. According to Mr Joe Mensah, a shopkeeper, the incident has dented the good and peaceful image of the suburb.
He said the action of TT is not tenable since he has wasted the life of his wife and placed the future of their seven-year-old son in jeopardy. A food seller in the area, Yaa Badu, said even though the incident was tragic, it is an expensive lesson for young couples in the country.
An official of ECOBANK, employers of Svetlana, 34, alias Naomi, who pleaded anonymity, said the entire staff of the bank were shocked at the loss of Svetlana, who he said was hard-working and friendly. Mr Seth Okaitey, a brother of TT who lives in the same house with the couple and their seven-year-old son, was beside himself with grief and disbelief.
Meanwhile, the pathologist at the Effia Nkwanta Hospital in Sekondi, Dr Andrews Jonas Dowuona-Hammond, who conducted the autopsy on the couple, gave the cause of the death of TT as “intra-cranial haemorrhage due to massive head injuries as a result of gunshot”. He gave the cause of Svetlana’s death as “haemothorax” due to massive chest bleeding as a result of gunshot”.
According to the Takoradi District Police Commander, Mr Isaac A. Quainoo, the couple, who had been married for eight years, lived peacefully in their house at Timber Bar, a suburb of Takoradi, with their seven-year-old son. He said Svetlana, who later secured a job with ECOBANK in Accra, visited the family at weekends. The District Commander said during one of such visit on Saturday, February 9, a quarrel ensued over alleged infidelity on the part of TT.
He said while they engaged in the exchanges, Svetlana received a call on her cellular phone. He said TT demanded to know the caller, but he was rebuffed by the wife, who said the caller was a brother. Mr Quainoo stated that TT, who became suspicious, also got annoyed with the answer and in the process snatched the cellular phone and smashed it hard on the floor, breaking it in the process.
He pointed out that TT’s action infuriated Svetlana, who threatened to pack out of their matrimonial home. Mr Quainoo noted that when TT sensed that he was in the process of losing her, he asked his brother, Okaitey, 20, to plead with Svetlana to rescind her decision. He said Svetlana agreed to stay on and later retired to bed with TT. According to the Commander, while in the bedroom, the quarrel ensued again and TT allegedly shot his wife with a shotgun in the breast, killing her instantly, and later shot himself.
He said TT’s brother, who sleeps with the seven-year-old son of the couple, said in the night he heard two bangs, which he mistook for that of a door. He said the next day when the couple failed to come out of their bedroom, the brother peeped in and found them lying in a pool of blood.
He said the brother called the police, who rushed to the apartment and found the couple dead. Commander Quainoo said an empty shell believed to have been fired from the gun was found in the room. He said the bodies of the couple have since been deposited at the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital mortuary for autopsy. Mr Quainoo said the police have intensified investigations into the tragedy. – Daily Graphic
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Ho (Volta
Region) 12 February 2002 - The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Nana
Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has noted that the administration of justice in the
country is in crisis and that unless the situation is addressed, it will hamper
the rule of law and good governance.
He said
that it was the responsibility of all stakeholders to form linkages in order to
strengthen institutions of justice to ensure the rule of law. Nana Akufo-Addo
said these during a durbar of staff of the Southern Sector – Volta, Greater
Accra, Central, Eastern and Western Regions – of the Office of the
Attorney-General.
It was also
attended by judges, regional heads of departments and agencies, the Military,
Prisons, Police and Fire Officers. Nana Akufo-Addo said that he had submitted a
budgetary proposal for ¢50 billion to the Ministry of Finance for approval and
expressed the hope that it would improve the situation considerably.
He said
that it was the priority of the government to decentralize the administration
of justice instead of concentrating it in Greater Accra, which was also
hindering the smooth running of the legal system. The Attorney-General deplored
the situation whereby people purported to have committed criminal offences were
unduly remanded because witnesses were not readily available or due to police
investigations.
He
described the situation as a form of social injustice, which could hamper the
rule of law and good governance, an essential cornerstone of the government. He
gave the assurance that the Land Title Registry would soon be decentralized to
ensure efficiency and effectiveness to make investment attractive, a
prerequisite to accelerate the nation’s development.
Welcoming
the participants, Kwasi Owusu Yeboah, the Volta Regional Minister, stressed the
need for appropriate and effective measures to be adopted to demystify the law
and the judicial process as a way of promoting general public understanding of
the present system of justice delivery. – The Ghanaian Times
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 12 February 2002 - Just a day after his “tourist” friend,
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, paid a three-day official visit to him in
Ghana, our “tourist” President has made a quick one to Senegal and back. He
flew off last Saturday to Dakar, Senegal and returned on Sunday evening.
The
purpose? To meet with the same British Prime Minister Tony Blair, but this time
with eight other Heads of State in attendance, to discuss with him the United
Kingdom’s NEPAD programme. A new British assistance programme for Africa.
This trip
is the number 27 for the Ghanaian President who has been in office for only 14
months.
The
President’s overseas trips are now becoming mind bogging. “What is it that he
has to discuss with Tony Blair that he could not have discussed with him when
he was Ghana,” an irate civil servant who described himself as a Ghanaian Tax
payer, equipped.
Ghana
Palaver has learnt that next month, President Kufuor flies off again on his 28th
trip. This time to Brisbane, New Zealand to attend the Commonwealth Heads of
Government meeting (CHOGM). President Kufuor lists travelling as his hobby on
his official curriculum vitae. -Ghana Palaver.
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