Farm labourer gets five years for stealing a child
Accused stripped naked in court
Four fined for attempting to destool chief
Intertek sued for poor inspection.
Farm labourer gets five years for stealing a child
Bibiani (Western Region) 11 June '99
For stealing an 11-year-old schoolgirl, a farm labourer, Konali Pascard has been sentenced to five years imprisonment in hard labour.
A Tarkwa High Court passed the sentenced on the 35-year-old after he had been convicted by a Bibiani community tribunal on his own plea.
Mr Benjamin Yaw Osei, chairman of the tribunal, had ordered the Police to send the accused to the High Court for sentence.
The tribunal had heard that Pascard lives at Gyereso near Tano-Dumase in the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai district.
On Friday, May 21, this year, the accused met Miss Salamatu Grumah.
and asked her to accompany him to Kumasi. On the way, the accused gave Salamatu some sleeping tablets.
The prosecutor said Salamatu in the course of the journey woke up and raised the alarm when the accused told her they were on their way to Cote d'Ivoire.
Salamatu told the other passengers that the accused was not her relative and that her father was the head of the Grumah community at Bibiani.
Both Salamatu and the accused were handed over to Immigration officers at Dormaa-Ahenkro, who sent them to the Police for investigations.
GRi../
Accused stripped naked in court
Koforidua (Eastern Region) 12 June '99
An accused stripped himself naked at the Koforidua circuit tribunal on Thursday to compel the presiding judge to grant him bail.
Twenty six year-old Yakubu Abubakar, standing trial for allegedly receiving some stolen items, raised his hands in the dock to speak.
As Mr Senya Dzamefe, the presiding judge, beckoned him to speak, Abubakar lowered the trousers he was wearing to the kneel level and stripped himself naked.
He then turned to display a skin disease on his back to the judge.
It took the psychological skills of Mr Dzemefe to get the accused, who is on trial with three others, to re-dress with the assurance that judgement in his case slated for June 10 would be delivered on June 15 due to the absence in court of some of the parties..
The police and prison officers had to help Abubakar to put on his garments when they failed to appeal to his senses.
Abubakar was returned to prison custody to await judgement on June 15,
GRi../
Four fined for attempting to destool chief
Kibi (Eastern Region) 12 June '99
Four persons from Afiesa, near Kibi, who attempted to destool the chief of the town by force, have been fined a total of 540,000 cedis by a Kibi community tribunal..
The accused, Mary Afrah, a royalist, Kwadwo Danso, Ernest Kwakye Agyeman and Ohene Boadu, were fined 135,000 cedis each.
They pleaded not guilty to four counts of conspiracy, assault, offensive conduct conducive to the breach of the peace and damaging the chief's sandals and chair.
They will each go to prison for 24 months in default of the payment of the fine.
In addition, the tribunal, chaired by Mr D. P. W. Amedior, ordered the accused persons to enter into a bond to be of good behaviour for 12 months or in default go to prison over a period to be determined by the tribunal.
Prosecuting, DSP Joseph Kwame Fosu told the tribunal that the first accused, Mary Afrah lives with the other three accused persons, his children, at Akim Apapam.
On March seventh this year, he said, while the chief of Afiesa, Nana Agyemang Kumaning II and his elders sat in state to celebrate the Akwasidae festival, the accused persons entered the palace by force to destool him.
DSP Fosu said Mary pointed to the chief and remarked that as "a jailman, you cease to be a chief and ordered the other three accused to destool him.
They then attacked and pushed the chief down for Danso to remove his sandals with which he slapped the chief's head three times.
Agyeman, who was allegedly ordered to collect the stool damaged it.
DSP Fosu said Nana Kumaning who was rescued by his elders, received injuries and was rushed to the Kibi Government Hospital where he was treated and discharged.
Passing sentence, Mr Amedior warned chieftaincy contractors against using force to destool chiefs.
GRi../
Intertek sued for poor inspection.
Tema (Greater Accra) 12 June '99
Intertek Testing Services, an international inspection company, has been sued at a Tema High Court for the recovery of 293.3 million cedis for an alleged negligence in the examination of 30,000 bags of imported rice.
Bonsu and Bordom International (Ghana) Limited, importers of the rice, said it lost 293,326,000 cedis after it sold 4,378 bags of the consignment for 10,000 cedis each instead of 77,000 cedis due to negligence on the part of Intertek Services.
A writ filed by Bonsu and Bordom, said in December last year, it engaged the services of Intertek to examine 30,000 bags of "U.S. number five" milled rice imported from the United States to ascertain their wholesomeness or otherwise for a fee.
Intertek, a representative of Lloyds Company engaged in foreign trade supervision, failed to detect an unsavoury scent on the consignment and issued a clean report of finding to the effect that the rice was wholesome and fit for human consumption.
The writ filed by Mr Kwasi Blay, solicitor for Bonsu and Bordom, said later, a sizeable number of customers complained that the rice had an unsavoury scent and returned their consignments.
When Intertek was informed about this situation, it commissioned Ghana Inspections Limited and Marine Surveyors to re-examine the consignments to determine the alleged unsavoury scent.
Tests carried out by the Food Research Institute for Ghana Inspections Limited revealed that 4,378 bags of the rice actually had the unsavoury scent and were therefore unsuitable for human consumption.
Upon recommendation of the Ghana Inspections Limited, the rice was sold as animal feed at 10,000 cedis a bag, resulting in the loss of over 293.3 million cedis.
Bonsu and Bordom are also claiming general damages for breach of contract and any other justifiable relief.
Intertek is yet to file its defence.
GRi../
Accra (Greater Accra) 12 June '99
An Accra Circuit Tribunal on Thursday remanded in custody, Osei Akoto, a mechanic, who allegedly snatched a car from a taxi driver for a stealing expedition.
With him in the dock was Yaw Banahene, 19, a labourer, also charged with stealing and robbery.
They both pleaded not guilty to stealing and robbery, and are to re-appear on July.
Banahene was however granted five million cedis bail with one surety.
The tribunal chaired by Mrs Elizabeth Anderson Yeboah heard that on May 17, this year, Akoto chartered a taxi and on reaching Spintex Road, he seized the car from the driver and sped off.
According to the prosecution, Akoto drove towards Kwame Nkrumah Circle where he picked up Banahene.
The two then drove to the Goil filling station at Odorkor to buy gas oil. When the attendant was about to serve them, Akoto snatched a black polythene bag containing 800,000 cedis from the attendant and drove away.
He said later the same day, the taxi driver identified Akoto at the Odorkor Police Station as the person who seized his car.
GRi../