"I chaired a committee on Quality Grain
Company" - Gamey
Sunyani High Court sentences two Tijaniyan
Muslims to death
Four security guards charged with stealing
Appeal Court grants bail to Ayawaso chief
Sunyani High Court jails three robbers 30
years.
"I chaired a committee on Quality
Grain Company" - Gamey
Accra (Greater Accra) 25 July 2001
Mr Austin Gamey, former Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, on Wednesday said he was appointed Chairman of a committee in 1996 to oversee the acquisition of land for the Quality Grain project at Aveyime. The committee was also to resettle the occupants of the land.
He told the Fast Track Court in Accra that the committee was formed following complaints by Ms Juliet Woodard, Director of the Quality Grain Company, to the authorities that she was finding it difficult to acquire land between North and South Tongu for her rice project.
Mr Gamey, former Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, was testifying for the prosecution in a case in which two former ministers of state and four former senior public officials are charged with conspiracy and causing financial loss to the state.
The six who have pleaded not guilty are Ibrahim Adam and Kwame Peprah, former Ministers of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and Finance respectively, Dr Samuel Dapaah, Dr George Yankey, Nana Ato Dadzie and Kwesi Ahwoi, all former senior public officials.
Each of them is on self-recognisance bail.
Led by Mr Osafo Sampong, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), witness said the former government set up an ad-hoc committee following problems the company encountered on land acquisition and compensation for the owners and occupants.
Mr Gamey said he chaired the ad-hoc committee and named two of its members as Dr George Yankey, the fourth accused and Mr Vincent Assiseh, former Press Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Witness said the committee met 70 times, submitted its report to the Castle and a sub-committee headed by the former Vice-President, Professor John Atta Mills was appointed to address the problems.
He said after several meetings with the committee, one of its members Nana Ato Dadzie, former Acting Chief of Staff and the fifth accused person, disbursed more than two billion cedis for resettlement of occupants of the land acquired for the company.
Mr Gamey said the ad-hoc committee found that the main problem to be solved was money to resettle the occupants and their shrines and idols at the new site.
He said in their deliberations, members did not seek legal advice even though there were lawyers among them.
Witness said the committees worked closely with the MOFA when Adam was the sector Minister.
He said MOFA provided the committee with means of transport and some of the officials, including Dr Samuel Dapaah, accompanied committee members to the project site.
Mr Gamey said he knew the company cultivated rice but he did not know the quantum.
Witness said a matter concerning the funding of the project was put before Parliament but he could not remember who brought the issue.
He said the committee was informed that the company was to fund the project with the Government as the guarantor.
Cross-examined by counsel for Adam, Mr Gamey said all what he knows about the project is that the Government has directed that it should be suspended.
Hearing continues on Monday, July 30.
GRi…/
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Sunyani High Court sentences two Tijaniyan
Muslims to death
Sunyani (Brong Ahafo Region) 25 July 2001
A Sunyani High Court, presided over by Mr Baffoe Bonnie on Tuesday sentenced two Tijaniyan Muslims to death by hanging for the murder of two members of the rival Al-Suna sect at Wenchi in the Brong Ahafo Region.
A seven- member jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty on Salifu Abubakar 29 and Buhari Kasim 22.
They shot and killed Sudatu Bawa and Dauda Yusifu during a clash between the two sects at Wenchi about three and half years ago.
Prosecuting, Mr Betuuriseech Cab-Bayuo, Chief State Attorney, had told the court that before the incident there was a long standing rift between the two sects and things came to a head on January 6 1998 when they clashed at the cemetery over the burial of two dead members.
The court heard that while the Al-Suna group were digging their grave the Tijaniyan members also arrived with a corpse and claimed that the other sect had no right to bury their dead at the place.
Tijanniyan members therefore went to fill up the grave that the Al-Suna group had dug.
Mr Cab-Bayuo said the Tijaniyans ambushed the Al-Sunas when they were returning to the town and fired into their vehicle injuring some of them.
This incident sparked off more trouble during which Abubakar, the first accused, went and shot Sudatu for failing to disclose the whereabouts of her husband, a leader of the Al-Suna group. Kasim, the second accused also fired at Dauda killing him instantly. Mr William Yaw Oppong represented the accused persons.
GRi…/
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Four security guards charged with stealing
Accra (Greater Accra) 25 July 2001
Four security guards on Wednesday appeared before an Accra Circuit Court charged with conspiracy and stealing 47 pieces of iron rods worth 10 million cedis, belonging to the China International Water Company, contractors of the Odaw drainage project.
The four, Seth Amparbeng, Stephen Prah, Peter Jagri, and Maxwell Anokorang, all employees of Westec Security Company, pleaded not guilty.
In the dock with them were, Muda Mohammed, a scrap dealer, Charles Acheampong, unemployed and Kennedy Twum, a trader who also pleaded not guilty to the same charges.
The seven were remanded in prison custody to reappear on August 3.
Police Chief Inspector Benedicta Akolgo told the tribunal chaired by Mrs Elizabeth Anderson Yeboah that following a series of thefts of construction materials at the main yard and project site near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, police were asked to intensify patrol.
On July 20, the Police arrested Mohammed, Acheampong and Anokorang while conveying 47 pieces of iron rods on a truck from the company's main yard.
When they were interrogated, they said the four security guards who were on duty permitted them to steal them.
GRi…/
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Appeal Court grants bail to Ayawaso chief
Accra (Greater Accra) 25 July 2001
The Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal on Wednesday set aside a 30-day prison sentence imposed on the Chief of Ayawaso and one other person by an Accra High Court for contempt.
The court granted a 10 million-cedi bail each to Nii Tettey Kojo, the chief and Lartey Boi Lartey, an elder of Gbawe, who were jailed by the High Court on July 16.
The court's decision followed an appeal filed by the applicants against the judgement of the high court presided over by Mr Justice Richard Apaloo who committed them to prison for defying an interim injunction order given by an Accra Circuit Court on February 24 last year which restrained them from stepping on a disputed land at Ayawaso.
They also allegedly assaulted court officials and policemen detailed to take photographs of damage that had been caused on the disputed land.
The court in addition fined each of them one million cedis or six months imprisonment and bonded them to be of good behaviour after serving the 30-day
sentence or serve another 12 months in prison. The two said in defence that the order was given in their absence.
Mr Justice B T Aryeetey, the presiding appeal court judge, said "the unanimous decision of the court is that the circumstances of the case, the shortness of the sentences and the impending legal vacation justify the granting of bail to the applicants."
He reminded all parties in the case that that the injunction by the Circuit Court still stands.
GRi…/
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Sunyani High Court jails three robbers 30
years.
Sunyani (Greater Accra) 25 July 2001
A Sunyani High Court on Tuesday sentenced three persons to a total of 30 years' imprisonment with hard labour for robbing a driver, Kofi Manu, of his taxi cab at gun-point.
The accused, Amidu Grunshie, Kwaku Antwi and Prince Boateng also known as Accra Boy, all pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery.
Grunshie who pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of robbery was sentenced to ten years on the first count and 12 years on the second.
The sentences are to run concurrently. Antwi was jailed eight years while Boateng had ten years.
The judge, Mr Justice Baffoe Bonnie said though the court took a serious view of their crime, it considered the fact that they had been in prison custody for three years.
Mr Betuuriseeh Cab-Bayuo, Chief State Attorney urged the court to impose "the maximum deterrent sentence."
Mr Solomon Oppong Twumasi represented Grunshie, while Mr Kwaku Asoma-Cheremeh represented Antwi and Mr Otu Essel Kwadwo Fordjour represented Boateng.
GRi…/
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