Court dismisses suit against Rev. Annor-Yeboah
Six suspects in Lee's murder remanded
Court dismisses suit against Rev. Annor-Yeboah
Accra (Greater Accra) 23 June '99
An Accra circuit court today dismissed a writ filed against the Rev. Dr Augustine Annor-Yeboah, General Secretary of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), by four members for alleged moral improprieties and bribery.
The court, presided over by Mr Victor Ofoe, said the plaintiffs did not produce any evidence to support their claims, which included perpetual injunction to restrain Rev Annor-Yeboah from exercising the functions of a general secretary of CAC.
It awarded 300,000 cedis costs against the plaintiffs.
The plaintiffs were Mr Benjamin Otchere, Mr James Owusu, Mr Peter Buo Boateng, and all members of Akomadan branch of CAC and Mr Emmanuel Owiredu Abossey of Kwae branch of the church.
Defendants were Rev Annor-Yeboah and Registered Trustees of CAC.
The plaintiffs in their statement of claim, said Rev Annor-Yeboah had sex with two married female members, bribed court officials and accused him of financial maladministration of CAC.
They therefore prayed to the court not only to restrain him from holding himself as General Secretary but to bar him from being a member of the CAC.
The defendants denied the allegations and called on the court to dismiss the suit.
Giving reasons for the dismissal, Mr Ofoe said the plaintiffs made four allegations of illegal telephone installation, bribery of court officials and having sex with four female members who are married.
The judge said the plaintiffs did not call any witness from the Ghana Telecom to testify that the defendant made illegal installation.
Rather, the defendants produced evidence that the installation was done with the approval of the Executive Council of the CAC and that payment of bills accrued out of the telephone installed was approved by the Council.
On bribery of court officials, the court held that the plaintiffs failed to call any witness to testify to that.
It said it found it difficult to believe the evidence of the two members who alleged that Rev Annor-Yeboah had sex with them.
The court explained that one of them alleged that the defendant took him to Dormaa Ahenkro and lodged her in a room at a place where later there was a blackout.
Evidence on record state that she was in the dark room when the defendant entered and had sex with her.
The court said it found it difficult to believe the story because the alleged victim could not have stayed in the dark room since that day was her first time of going to the place where she lodged.
It said the other female member alleged that at an arbitration of her parents at one side and the defendants at the other, the defendants agreed and paid two million cedis as compensation to her. However, during the trial, neither of her parents or any other person at the said arbitration testified on her behalf.
The court held that from the evidence adduced, the plaintiffs failed to prove their case and accordingly dismissed their suit.
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Six suspects in Lee's murder remanded
Tema (Greater Accra) 23 June '99
Six suspects in the murder of John Lee Manu, a Customs officer stationed in Tema, were on Tuesday remanded in custody, when they appeared before the Tema Circuit tribunal, chaired by Mr Ringo Cass Azumah.
No charges were preferred against them neither was their plea taken. This is because the tribunal has no jurisdiction to try murder cases, but can only remand them for the Police to complete its investigations.
Four of them were detained after the Police screened 47 people picked up last week in a dawn swoop at Community Seven, where the late Mr Manu was lynched after he had mistaken the car of one Mr John Bentum for his own after drinking at a bar nearby.
The other two, Edward Amuzu, 23, a welder, escaped from Tema after the incident and was arrested at Aflao while Robert Kofi Baiden, alias "Kabila", a 23-year-old casual labourer of the Ghana Textile Printing Company (GTP), was picked up in a Tema-Takoradi bound vehicle at the Tema lorry station last Sunday.
The four are John Mills-Lamptey, alias Nii Ayi, 22, his elder brother Edward Mills-Lamptey, alias Lankwei, a 26-year-old carpenter, Christopher Nii Ayitey Badu, alias Melody, a 24-year-old student and James Atieku, a carpenter.
Two lawyers, Mr Kwaku Kyei and Mr Osafo Buabeng, represented the Mills-Lamptey brothers and Badu while the rest are yet to engage the services of counsel.
Mr Kyei told the tribunal that what happened was a mob action that makes it difficult for the Police to identify those who actually lynched the Customs officer.
He said his clients were victims simply because they live in the area, adding, since there are doubts surrounding the case, the tribunal should grant them bail.
This was, however, turned down by the tribunal.
Mr John Bentum, a retired transport officer of the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO), whose car the mob alleged Lee entered before he was attacked is facing a provisional charge of murder before the same tribunal and will re-appear in court tomorrow, Wednesday June 23.
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Accra (Greater Accra), 23rd June 99 –
An Accra circuit court trying two Editors charged with publishing reports likely to injure the reputation of the government, on Tuesday adjourned to July seven at the instance of the defence.
The court, presided over by Mr Victor Ofoe, upheld an application by Mr Akoto Ampaw, counsel for Eben Quarcoo, former Editor of the "Free Press" one of the accused persons, to adjourn proceedings to enable his client produce some documents, which are relevant to the defence.
Counsel made the application when Quarcoo was being cross-examined by Mr Martin Amidu, Deputy Attorney-General, on the documents, which the accused had mentioned at an earlier sitting.
On trial with Quarcoo is Nana Kofi Coomson, Editor-in-Chief of the "Ghanaian Chronicle". Both have pleaded not guilty and each is on a 10 million cedis bail.
The accused persons in their papers, published that the government was dealing in drugs and that it was using the proceeds to purchase arms and ammunition, which it would use to destabilise the country if it lost the 1996 general elections.
Coomson has completed his evidence and denied the charge saying that he based his report on a publication made by the "African Observer," a paper based in New York.
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