GRi in Court Ghana
13 - 03 - 2001
Couple jailed eight years for stealing
Farmer fined
250,000 cedis for stealing fowls
Managing Director before tribunal for fraud
Accra (Greater Accra) 13 March 2001
Frank Gadzekpo, Managing Director of SCOA (Ghana) Limited, who collected 200,000 dollars from the Ghana National Fire Service to supply them with a fire tender but failed to deliver was on Monday arraigned before a circuit tribunal in Accra.
Gadzekpo pleaded not guilty to defrauding by false pretences and was granted bail in the sum of 200 million cedis with two sureties to be justified. He is scheduled to appear again on March 27.
Granting the bail, Mr Imoru Ziblim who chaired the tribunal ordered that the prosecution should find out the ownership of SCOA Ghana Limited.
Although the company is in liquidation, Mr. Ziblim said the Registrar General's Department should be made to appear in court on the next adjourned date to clarify issues.
Presenting the facts of the case, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Patrick Sarpong said in 1999, the company won a tender from the GNFS to supply a fire tender. 200,000 US dollars was paid by the Bank of Ghana to SCOA accordingly.
After receiving the money, Gadzekpo gave 10,000 dollars to IVECO Company Limited for the construction of the fire tender, the prosecutor said.
DSP Sarpong said Gadzekpo refused to make additional payment and, therefore, the tender was not delivered.
When the fire tender was not being delivered, the GNFS contacted the accused person who told them that he had given 10,000 dollars to IVECO and used 190,000 dollars.
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Aflao (Volta Region) 13 March 2001
Kodzo Komawu, 28, truck pusher of Aflao, and his 25-year-old Togolese wife, Adzo Ahiabu, are to serve a total of eight years of hard labour in prison for stealing and dishonestly receiving 60 yards of lace material worth 950,000 cedis.
Komawu, who pleaded guilty to dishonestly receiving, had five years while his wife, who pleaded not guilty to stealing, had three years.
Mr Francis Opoku of the Aflao Circuit Court described the attitude of the couple as "not only sordid but also inexcusable", saying that stories they told the court "must be thrown into the limbo of forgotten things".
He commended Mr Enyonam Kpando, an attendant at the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) canteen at Aflao and a prosecution witness for exposing the couple.
Inspector Kofi Frimpong of the Aflao Police told the court that while the complainant, Miss Felicity Addoh, was going through customs formalities at Aflao at about 10.30 p.m. on February 17 on her arrival from Benin, Ahiabu, who had also arrived from Lome, managed to steal one of her luggage containing lace materials.
The prosecution said Ahiabu presented the goods to Komawu, her husband, who commended her saying "the Lord has answered our prayers".
According to Inspector Frimpong, Ahiabu cut the materials into four-yard pieces each and started selling them in town the following day.
Inspector Frimpong said Kpando, who bought four yards of the lace at 50,000 cedis, became suspicious and alerted the police who arrested Komawu when he brought more of the lace materials the following day as requested by him.
Komawu then led the police to the house where his wife was arrested and the remaining lace material was retrieved.
The court ordered the return of the unsold material to Miss Addoh, who identified them as hers.
In another incident, the court also sentenced Kofi Kuma, 22, a truck pusher, to three years' in prison for threatening to kill his 60-year-old mother with a kitchen knife.
Inspector Kofi Frimpong told the court that Kuma, who lives in the same house with his mother, Ayawo Akator, a trader, threatened to kill her if she failed to pay three million cedis, which she allegedly owed him.
According to the prosecution, Madam Akator paid one million cedis to Kuma.
However, on February 26, Kuma again threatened to kill his mother if she did not pay the remaining debt of two million cedis to him.
Inspector Frimpong said Madam Akator managed to sneak out of the house through the window and reported her son's conduct to the police.
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Farmer fined
250,000 cedis for stealing fowls
Asamankese (Eastern Region) 13
March 2001
A 30-year-old farmer, Kwadwo
Acquah, who stole two fowls has been sentenced to a fine of 250,000 cedis or in
default serve nine months imprisonment in hard labour.
Acquah, who admitted a previous
conviction for stealing yams, pleaded guilty.
Inspector G.K. Tosu, prosecuting,
told Asamankese circuit court that on February 25 at Nyame Nti village, near
Akroso, Acquah stole the fowls belonging to Mr Kwaku Asamoah and Madam Akua
Tawiah.
The two had a tip-off that Acquah
had stolen them. They later found him with a bag containing two dead fowls,
which they identified as theirs.
The two arrested the accused and
sent him to the chief who advised that he should be sent to the Akroso police
station. The Judge, Mr S.S. Appiah described Acquah as a mischievous criminal.
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