GRi Sports Ghana
05 - 05 - 2001
Stadium Disaster-Commission enters its third week
Soccer-Hertha Berlin chase new German international Asamoah
Stadium Disaster-Commission enters its third week
Accra
(Greater Accra) 05 June 2001
The Stadium
Disaster Commission entered its third week and as to whether it would complete
its work within the scheduled one month depends largely on the evidence to be
given by those who appear before it.
The
Commission on Monday did some hearing behind close doors and started public
sitting at 11:20 hours.
The
Chairman of the Commission, Mr Sam Okuzdzeto said Parliament has written to the
Commission to say that only two constitutional instruments were laid before
Parliament in 1999.
This thus
belies the assertion by Mr Joojo Bruce Quansah, Editor in Chief of the Ghana
Palaver that the instrument establishing the Justice Gbagdegbe's Commission was
laid before Parliament for 21 days in the year 1999.
Mr Okudzeto
distributed a letter written by Mr K. E. K. Tachie, Acting Clerk of Parliament,
which states that, the only two Constitutional Instrument laid before the House
in 19999 and passed into law by Parliament after 21 days were Supreme Court
(Amendment) Rules 1999 laid on November 10 and passed on December 14, and Court
of Appeal (Amendment) Rules 1999 also laid November 10 and passed on December
14.
He again
appealed to the press to always crosscheck their facts and come out with the
truth.
Inspector
John Ampomah of the Adabraka Police Station reappeared at the Commission to
clarify parts of the evidence he had already given.
Led in
evidence by Mr Miguel Ribeiro, Counsel to the Commission, Inspector Ampomah
said he received a warning from the then Regional Commander, Deputy
Commissioner
Mr Enkelebe to assist the ASP Anderson Arkaah at the Accra Sports
Stadium.
Asked about
the type of assistance he gave to ASP Arkaah, Inspector Ampomah said he helped
him to deploy policemen at the stadium, however, since ASP Arkaah went back to
school to do his Masters Degree, he has been doing the deployment without
receiving any formal order from his superiors to assume that role.
Asked why
he still receives signals to go to the stadium since he claims to be stationed
there, he said the new regional commander might not know that he has been put
there.
When asked
to bring to bring the written order for his attachment to the stadium,
Inspector Ampomah brought out a document, which had no official stamp on it. He
produced signal messages detailing him to go on duty at the stadium.
He finally
admitted that he was not on duty on the day of the incident when he was
questioned whether he saw policemen in the press box.
Inspector
Ampomah said he was not on duty so that day he did not take particular notice
of known faces among the men there countering earlier evidence that he has been
stationed at the stadium.
When
questioned by Professor Agyeman Badu Akosah whether his role at the stadium
only involves football and whether he comes there during inter-schools
competitions, he said the National Sports Council (NSC) has not given them any
sports calendar and that he is attached to the stadium and not the NSC.
He said he
did not deploy armed men to the arena but saw one in the arena.
Deputy
Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Paul Manly Awini, Administrator at the Police
Hospital, was the next to appear and he tendered reports on the impact of the
disaster and mortuary facilities at the hospital.
ASP
Benjamin Bakomora reappeared to give further clarification on the evidence he
had given.
ASP
Bakomora said he has not been duly appointed to be in charge of the stadium but
does so on instruction.
He repeated
an earlier evidence that he was not on duty that day but went there to watch
the match and suggested to some policemen to move armoured cars parked at the
official car park to a different location but did not consider that as giving
instructions to the men.
Asked
whether he was not interfering when there was an officer on duty by giving
orders he said he would not call it interference.
He said he
did not call Inspector Ampomah on May 9 to tell him that there was going to be
a match at the stadium.
ASP
Bakomora told the Commission that Inspector Ampomah normally writes down the
names of the officers on duty, who were to be given allowances and he signs
against it.
He was not
sure that Ampomah signs against his name and collects allowances for him
countering an earlier evidence given by Ampomah that he normally signs against
Bakomora's name and collects his allowance for him.
Bakomora
also said it was ASP Ayisi, who normally signs and collects his allowance for
him.
When given
some forms to see whether it was the forms he normally signs, ASP Bakomora sat
down for some minutes examining the forms critically and said he did not know
how the forms look like.
Even though
he was not on duty his name was on the list of men who were on duty.
Engineer
Nana Michael Asafo Boakye of the Ghana Institutes of Engineers also appeared
before the Commission to tender a report on the causes of the disaster and
professional advice.
He said
studies have shown that, the Osu stands is even worse than the North stand as
there are only two exits and in case of any eventuality a worse disaster could
happen.
Engineer
Boakye said, the whole structure would be examined to determine which areas
needs redesigning.
Mr Okudzeto
told him that the concrete holding the rail bars came out so easily and asked
whether a test could be conducted to determine the type of material used.
Nana Boakye
said the Ghana Highway Authority could conduct a laboratory test on them.
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Soccer-Hertha Berlin chase new German international Asamoah
Berlin
(Germany) 05 June 2001
Ghana-born
midfielder Gerald Asamoah, who has just won his first two caps for Germany,
said on Monday he might leave Schalke 04 for fellow German first
division
club Hertha Berlin.
"I've
heard from my adviser that Hertha have made an offer," said Asamoah, who
became the first black player to play for unified Germany in their 2-0 friendly
international win over Slovakia last week, marking his debut by scoring a fine
goal.
"Berlin
is a nice city," added the 22-year-old, who also played in the 2-2 draw
away to Finland in a World Cup qualifier on Saturday. "You should never
say never."
Asamoah has
irritated his Schalke bosses by revealing that a clause in his contract enabled
him to leave the Gelsenkirchen club straight away.
Hertha
Berlin commercial manager Dieter Hoeness confirmed that the club from the
capital were interested in Asamoah.
"I do
not deny that there have been contacts," Hoeness told Berlin daily BZ.
"It is an issue."
GRi…/
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