Minister deplores
nursing mothers in prison
La Polyclinic accountant charged with
stealing
Two remanded in
custody for abortion
Minister deplores
nursing mothers in prison
Accra (Greater Accra) 20 March
2001
Dr Francis Osafo-Mensah, Eastern
Regional Minister on Monday urged the courts to give suspended or parole
sentences to convicted expectant mothers after he found a mother with her
two-month old baby-boy at the Akuse Prison.
The woman, Joyce Nartey, 24, was
jailed 15 months for stealing when she was about five months pregnant.
The Minister said the judiciary
would be giving the administration of justice a human face if it could pass
custodial, parole or suspended sentences in the circumstances that the woman
found herself.
Dr Osafo-Mensah who is also the
chairman of the Regional Prisons Council made the remark when the
Director-General of Prisons, Mr Richard Kuuire called on him at Koforidua.
A statement in Accra by the Prison
Service on the visit, said the Minister promised to help streamline the
operations of the Prisons regarding the preservation of human rights.
Mr Kuuire said discussions are
going on between the ministers of Justice and Interior to address problems
associated with women convicts and their babies as well as prisoners on long
remands.
Later at a durbar with the
officers of the Koforidua prison, Mr Kuuire said a programme is being drawn up
to help the officers discharge their duties more professionally.
He said the days of
"wholesale promotion" are over, adding that to increase productivity
and to ensure responsibility officers would now be promoted on the basis of
merit and performance on the job and not on long service.
Mr. G.W.K. Agbale Officer-In-
Charge of the Koforidua prison said the cash and carry system is creating a
problem for the service because sick prisoners who attend hospital are refused
treatment because the service has no money to pay the bills.
This has led to a number of deaths
in the prisons and appealed to the Ministry of Health to consider prisoners as
paupers.
The prisoners also appealed to Mr
Kuuire for the supply of bedding and chamber pots to make life a bit more
bearable.
GRi…/
Send your comments to news@ghanareview.com
La Polyclinic accountant charged with
stealing
Accra (Greater Accra) 20 March 2001
An accountant of the La Polyclinic on Monday appeared before an Accra Circuit Tribunal charged with stealing 104 million cedis being the revenue from drugs sales, services rendered and extra duty allowance belonging to the hospital.
Francis Amoako, 43, pleaded not guilty and was granted 50 million cedis bail with one surety to be justified. He will re-appear on March 28.
The tribunal chaired Mr Imoru Ziblim heard that Amoako was in charge of the accounts section of the Polyclinic.
An audit inspection of the account books of the accused person revealed that in May 1999, he embezzled 104.87 million cedis.
When the Police interrogated him he explained that he gave out some of the money as IOU to some hospital staff. He also said he gave some of the money to a friend, who had travelled outside.
GRi…/
Send your comments to news@ghanareview.com
Two remanded in
custody for abortion
Suhum (Eastern Region) 20 March
2001
A 25-year herbalist and his sister,
who allegedly caused the death of a 16-year old girl by giving her a concoction
to abort her three months' old pregnancy were arraigned at the Suhum Community
tribunal on a provisional charge of murder.
The herbalist, Moses Kwasi Adjei
alias Alhaji and the sister, Augustina Sagbagi, 23, a farmer, whose pleas were
not taken, have been remanded in custody until April 3.
The Tribunal head that the accused
persons and the deceased live in the same village at Obretema, a farming
village, near Suhum.
The deceased, who is a friend to
Sagbagi, told her about the pregnancy and wanted someone to abort it for her.
According to the prosecution after
Sagbagi had introduced the deceased to his brother Agyei, he mixed some
concoction for the deceased to drink.
On March 11, this year, the
deceased became seriously sick, and was rushed to the Suhum Government hospital
but died soon on admission. An autopsy revealed that she died as a result of
criminal abortion.
GRi…/
Send your comments to news@ghanareview.com