Suspect ‘sprays’ police with human excreta
Victims of '419' grow in number
Girl pleads on behalf of her boyfriend
Accra (Greater Accra) 23 February 2002 - Preliminary investigations have established a new dimension to the disturbing phenomenon of ghost names being perpetrated by a syndicate made up of some officials of the commercial banks and the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD).
The investigations being conducted by the Audit Service indicate that the syndicate prepares a list of imaginary workers, using staff numbers as well as corresponding initials or figures. Pay vouchers are then prepared at the end of every month and sent to
designated banks where, with the help of the members of the syndicate working with these banks, the monies are drawn at the counter and later shared among themselves.
The modus operandi of the syndicate, which is very complicated, contravenes laid-down regulations, which require all employees of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to open bank accounts for their salaries to be lodged in at the end of every month. The imaginary workers use the staff numbers and initials such as “K” or figures as 22 or 55 to collect the monies. The operators of the syndicate cut across the entire country.
A scrutiny of the government payroll between July and November 2001, showed for instance that although there were 1,451,832 employees on the official government payroll, instructions from the Controller and Accountant General’s Department, referred to as “Report 11”, to the banks provide more names than are on the payroll.
So far, 2,069 ghost names have been removed from the payroll of MDAs. This has saved the government about ¢1.2 billion. It was initially presumed that the ghost names on the government payroll were made up of disengaged staff, namely those dismissed, resigned, deceased or retired from the employment of the MDAs.
The acting Auditor-General, Mr Edward Dua-Agyeman, said in an interview that a 10 percent figure given by the Finance Minister as constituting ‘ghosts’ on the payroll is an understatement. He said the head count and the scrutiny of the pay vouchers and “Report 11” from the CAGD have revealed that there is more to the problem than meets the eye.
He said it was initially believed that the late submissions of names of staff who are no longer in the public service as well as delays in deleting their names from the PVs constituted the only source of the payments to the ghosts. Mr Dua-Agyeman said this new revelation, therefore, calls for greater commitment of his staff to expose those behind the syndicate. – Daily Graphic.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 23 February 2002 - A state funeral service for the late Dr Ebenezer Ako Adjei, a founding member of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and the last of the “Big Six”, was held at the forecourt of the State House in Accra on Saturday. The solemn ceremony was attended by the President, John Kufuor, the First Lady Theresa, and some high-ranking government officials.
Present were the former President, Flt. Lt. J.J. Rawlings; Mrs Konadu Agyeman Rawlings; the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Peter Ala Adjetey; Chairman of the Council of State, Professor Alex Kwapong; the Chief Justice, Mr Justice E.K. Wiredu; Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, members of the Diplomatic Corps and the bar, among others.
Four wreaths were laid in honour of the former statesman, politician and journalist. President Kufuor laid the first wreath on behalf of the government and people of Ghana while the Foreign Ministry, Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, laid the second for the Foreign Ministry.
Mr Paul Adu Gyamfi, President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), laid one on behalf of his association while a family member did so for the family. By 7.00 am, the body of Dr Ako Adjei had been laid in state. Members of the public and the government filed past the casket decorated in national colours.
President Kufuor, who arrived at 9.25 am proceeded to file past the casket with some ministers of state who followed him. In a tribute on behalf of the government, Senior Minister Mr J.H. Mensah said although Dr Ako Adjei broke away form the UGCC, to join the Convention People’s Party of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, he maintained relations with his friends in the UGCC including Dr J.B. Danquah.
He said Dr Ako Adjei’s unfailing courtesies set the mode for Ghana’s enviable diplomacy saying, “it was unfortunate he became a victim of a complete travesty of justice.” He said dangers of intolerance, sycophancy and resort to violence in resolving problems had undermined development. Mr Mensah stressed that such tragic mistakes should not be repeated in national affairs, adding that, “Ghana could not fully benefit from his experiences. Never again should a person of his stature suffer such a fate.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, in a tribute, described Dr Ako Adjei’s contributions to the formulation and implementation of Ghana’s foreign policy as substantial. “He promoted a foreign policy which projected the African personality and preserved the dignity of the African,” the Foreign Minister said. Mrs Theodosia Ako Adjei described her late husband as “a man of principles who stood his grounds firmly and courageously, especially where matters of truth were concerned.
In a sermon, Rt. Rev. Dr Sam Prempeh, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, said any initiative seeking to reconcile Ghanaians should attract the attention and concern of all. He condemned antisocial practices that undermine stability and national reconstruction and added that the church will play its role to promote the development of the country.
Six pallbearers carried the casket. The army Pinz Gauer vehicle conveyed the casket to the mausoleum of the Holy Church of God, Okonman, Dome, in Accra for a private burial. Born on June 17, 1916, Dr Ako Adjei died on Monday, January 14, this year. - Daily Graphic
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Kadjebi (Volta Region) 23 February 2002 - What began as a minor misunderstanding over a missing piece of bushmeat has resulted in a 60-year-old akpeteshie distiller murdering his wife before committing suicide.
Samuel Ampofo, alias Ashong, of Poase-Cement in the Kadjebi District of the Volta Region was said to have shot Madam Mawunyo Teka in the chest following the misunderstanding over the meat he had brought home for the preparation of a meal.
The Deputy Superintendent of Police-in-charge of Kadjebi District, Mr Gabriel H.K. Gbedjor who disclosed this to The Mirror, said until the tragedy, the deceased had been married for more than 15 years and were survived by five children.
He said on the day of the incident, a misunderstanding ensued between the couple over a misplaced rat meat purported to have been brought home by the husband for the preparation of a meal. DSP Gbedjor said in the heat of the argument, Ampofo rushed into his room and brought out a locally-manufactured gun and shot his wife in the chest resulting in her death instantly.
He said the screams of the woman attracted many neighbours to the scene who found her lying in a pool of blood. He said Ampofo, sensing danger, threatened the angry crowd with a cutlass and a gun, and later escaped into the bush.
The DSP said Ampofo was however, pursued by a search party who found him dead at his distillery at about 4.30 pm. The bodies of the couple have been deposited at the Mary-Theresa Hospital at Dodi-Papase while further investigations continue. - The Mirror
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Accra (Greater Accra) 23 February 2002 - A suspect in custody at the Kaneshie Police Station last Thursday threw a large quantity of human excreta at policemen on duty at the counter and caused mayhem at the station. Turson Rayard, also known as Red, 36, also smeared the whole cell with the human excreta because he was hungry.
The Kaneshie station officer, Chief Inspector David Adrah, disclosed these to the ‘Times’ in Accra last Thursday. He said that Red was arrested last week Friday at the Kaneshie-Takoradi Station for allegedly snatching a mobile phone from one Evans Donkor. He was also alleged to have picked more than ¢2 million from a woman at the Kaneshie market.
Chief Inspector Adrah explained that, while investigations into the allegations was going on the District police commander, Superintendent Azu, directed that, Red should be sent to court to pray the court to remand him in prison custody for investigations to continue. He said that when the crime officer in charge of the case went to Red for some information to prepare the docket, Red snatched the report form from the officer and tore it into pieces.
Red quickly dashed to the W/C toilet, using his bare hands, fetched the excreta in the pot because there was no water to flush it, spread it on the floor of the whole cell. Red, he said, continued fetching the waste matter with his bare hands and throwing it at those officers at the counter amidst loud and violent noise.
The situation attracted a large crowd to the station only to see Red who most of them had identified as their major tormentor in the market seriously in the ‘shit’ throwing action. It took the efforts of the inmates and the police to overpower and subdue him. Chief Inspector Adrah said that a number of reports had been made at the station about the criminal. – The Ghanaian Times
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Victims of '419' grow in number
Accra (Greater Accra) 23 February 2002 - Although robbing by the force of arms has increased lately, a less harmful but probably more insidious way of robbing has become more fashionable. Instead of using guns, the robbers use their brains to disposes their victims of their last penny.
The country has between 1997 and the year 2001 experienced an increase of about 40 percent in fraudulent activities by a syndicate code-named "419". Members of this syndicate use their brains as their weapon, and their success rate is appreciably high.
The name "419" originates from the Nigerian Criminal Code, Section 419. Incidentally, about 95 percent of these tricksters are nationals from Nigeria. They enter into Ghana with the sole aim of defrauding unsuspecting people. On entering Ghana, they engage the services of some Ghanaians who aid them to defraud their victims.
In spite of the fact that the Nigerian tricksters are in the majority as far as the syndicate is concerned, it has been observed that some of these confidence tricksters are from other countries. Mr David Asante Apeatu, Head of Operations, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, in an interview last Tuesday appealed to the public to be careful when transacting business with suspicious characters.
"People should not reap where they have not sown," he said. He was of the view that in most cases, it was greedy people who fell victims to such tricksters. He advised the public to be wary of such tricksters so as to bring to a halt such criminal practices in the country.
He described the perpetrators as young men between the ages of 20 and 50 who adopt various strategies to win the trust of their victims before they go ahead to rob them. In most cases, the tricksters look very gentle and neat. They also claim to be professionals and support this with documents.
Sometimes they also claim to be relatives of some world leaders like the late General Abacha and Mobutu. They talk big about huge sums of money lodged in foreign accounts just to lure their unsuspecting victims to believe they are rich people. The unfortunate part is that most victims only realise their true identities only after have been defrauded.
Mr Apeatu said that because of the way these tricksters operate, it was difficult to trace a common joint where the perpetrators converge. Moreso they reside at different locations in the country. They also resort to the use of different means of communication, which include the Internet and the way these tricksters operate it is difficult to trace a common joint where the perpetrators converge. Also, they reside at different locations in the country. He revealed that they get most of their e-mail addresses of victims from the cyber cafes under the pretext of patronizing them.
Mr Apeatu said that since most of the perpetrators were from West Africa, they easily got into the country through the 90-day ECOWAS visa system but resorted to dubious means to get the visas re-stamped to prolong their stay. Describing how they operate, Mr Apeatu said the perpetrators were dynamic and therefore, adopted different strategies for different operations.
He, however, cited examples where in a particular case, a lady advertised in the dailies the sale of her house. A prospective buyer followed and bought without asking for a reduction in the bid price. However, the buyer presented documents indicating that he had a huge sum of money lodged in a bank somewhere but needed some money to get it transferred into his account in the country so as to enable him pay for the house. He then took several sums of money from the lady and finally vanished.
Also due to the secretive nature of these transactions, the police are usually not informed until the victims are defrauded. Mr Asante-Apeatu cautioned the public to desist from approaching the so-called contractors for passports and visas who charged exorbitant fees and most of the time were not able to acquire them. Instead, they should go to the appropriate offices to lessen the problems for the police because they were called when there was a fraud.
Another area he touched on was where individuals who come into the country to purchase extracted minerals like gold and platinum ended up being defrauded. He directed them to the Precious Mineral Company in their own interest. Finally, he cautioned against the sale of certain liquid chemicals, which the fraudsters claim could wash "Black Money" (like paper) into to foreign currencies. Ultimately, those who wait along, hoping to get their fair share of the dollars or pound sterling ended up losing all their monies to the tricksters, he said. - The Spectator
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Girl pleads on behalf of her boyfriend
Accra (Greater Accra) 23 February 2002 - Terrified of losing her boyfriend if he ended up in jail, a lady courageously pleaded with a tribunal judge to temper justice with mercy.
The audience at the Madina Community Tribunal last Monday broke into uncontrollable laughter when the girlfriend boldly told the judge that Love yaw Galley acted under the influence of the devil, and therefore deserved mercy. "The beach towel he stole attracted him, so please have mercy on him," were the exact words the fiancée told the chairman of the tribunal.
Love Galley, who claims to be a footballer and native of Agbozume in the Volta Region, was arraigned before the tribunal for stealing a beach towel valued at ¢150,000 from Golden Tulip Hotel. When the tribunal chairman demanded to know the person who accompanied the accused to the tribunal, the lady, thinking the chairman was going to deal leniently with the accused, stood up.
But to her surprise, the chairman, instead, advised her to talk to her fiancée not to be attracted to things which do not belong him. He then sentenced him to seven years imprisonment after the accused had admitted the offence.
Police Inspector Elizabeth Arthur told the tribunal the Galley on January 30, this year, went to the Golden Tulip Hotel at about 9.15 pm to look for a footballer friend. Galley claimed the friend had promised to look for a football club for him in Europe.
After making an enquiry at the front desk, the accused decided to visit the washroom. In the washroom Galley picked a white beach towel meant for use in the washroom. He tied it to his waist and wore his dress on it. After making sure no one saw him, he left the washroom towards the lobby. Unfortunately for Galley a security personnel called Alex Boapong Gyabaah, had been monitoring the suspect's movement.
Realising that his waist had changed, the security personnel confronted him at the lobby. When questioned, Galley repeated the same story that he was looking for a friend. He was invited to the hotel's security office to enable the security department to locate his friend. In the security office, they decided to conduct a search on him.
The security men during the search found the white towel tied on his waist under his dress. Four Ghanaian passports were also found in his pocket. The passports bore the names of Osei Edward Kofi, Donyina Abraham, Antepim Korang and Yeboah Mina Ofori-Galley. When questioned, he admitted stealing the towel from the washroom and was handed over to the police. - The Spectator
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