Supreme Court
rules on President's appointments on Wednesday
Policemen died
through gunshots and mutilation – Pathologist
Man jailed 10 ten
years for stealing
Supreme Court
rules on President's appointments on Wednesday
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 March
2001
The Supreme Court will on
Wednesday, March 28, give it’s ruling in the case in which Mr Martin Amidu,
former Deputy Attorney-General, is challenging the legality of certain
presidential appointments without prior consultation with the Council of State.
After listening to submissions
from counsel for both sides on February 13, the nine-member panel presided over
by Mr Justice Emmanuel Wiredu, Acting Chief Justice, fixed March 28 for ruling.
In January this year, President
John Agyekum Kufuor nominated Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, General Joshua Hamidu
and Ms Elizabeth Ohene for appointment to ministerial positions.
Whilst Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey and Ms
Ohene were nominated for the posts of Ministers of Presidential Affairs and
Media Relations respectively, General Hamidu was to become National Security
Adviser.
Challenging their nominations in a
writ, Mr Amidu contended that, since those appointments were made without prior
consultation with the Council of State, "it is a deliberate and gross
violation of the Constitution and the Presidential Office Act 1993 (Act
463)."
Since this is a constitutional
matter that required interpretation of the law, Mr Amidu joined the Attorney -
General to the suit and, therefore, prayed the court to restrain the President
and the four, from continuing to violate the Constitution.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo,
Minister of Justice and Attorney - General, is representing the State with Mr
Amidu representing himself.
GRi…/
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Policemen died
through gunshots and mutilation – Pathologist
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 March
2001
The pathologist, who conducted the
post-mortem examination on the two policemen murdered at Ablekuma in November
1998, on Monday disclosed that one of them died from gunshots, while the other
was completely mutilated.
Dr Sowah Maale-Adsei, Chief
Superintendent of Police (CSP) attached to the Police Hospital, who made
disclosure when he testified at the Ablekuma Murder Trial, told the court that
while Jerry Wornoo, alias Taller, died of gun-shots, Richard Owusu-Sekyere,
alias Kweku Ninja, suffered extensive and total mutilation.
Nine persons are being tried for
allegedly murdering the two policemen, who had gone to Ablekuma to erect
pillars on a piece of land they had acquired.
They include Joseph Telewu, alias
Terminator, Seth Ababio Kissergbi, alias Rasta, Nii Amo Dodoo, William Nii
Muetteh Addo and Newland Awayevu.
The rest are Okyeame Darko Dodoo,
Wisdom Awayevu, alias Kwasi Luga, Daniel Mills, alias Fussy and Yemo Odai, alias
Joe Shanton.
They have all pleaded not guilty
to two charges of conspiracy to commit crime and murder. With the exception of
Okyeame Dodoo who is on bail, the rest are in prison custody.
Dr Maale-Adsei, the third
prosecution witness, said he carried out the post-mortem on the two policemen
whose bodies were almost decomposed, on the same day in the presence of members
of their families.
Witness said he did the autopsy on
December 30, 1998, and handed over his report to the investigators in the case
on March 2 the following year.
He said during the examination, he
observed that the surface layer of Wornoo's skin was totally peeled off.
Dr Maale-Adsei told the court that
Wornoo's upper and lower lips were cut into two by a sharp object like a knife
or a cutlass, whilst under the chin, was a penetrating bullet hole measuring
about one-and-a-half by one-and-a-half centimetres in diameter.
The pathologist said Wornoo
received multiple slashes at different parts on his head and upper jaw, with
the external ear also cut into two.
Witness said the bullet pierced
through the chin of the deceased and destroyed the right sides of his jaw and
skull.
Dr Maale-Adsei told the court that
it was detected that the skull was broken at different areas.
The first two witnesses are ACP
Samuel Kwame Appiah, Commanding Officer of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit
and Superintendent Emmanuel Amamoo, Divisional Commander of the Kaneshie Police
Station.
Dr Maale-Adsei told the court that
Owusu-Sekyere's body showed extreme battery and mutilation.
Witness said that while the left
upper arm of the deceased had been amputated leaving a stump of about 15
centimetres long, both feet were amputated at the ankle.
He said Owusu-Sekyere's neck was
broken with multiple slash wounds at the back, his head showed severe battery
with the left side of the waist deeply cut with a sharp object.
The pathologist told the court
that the flat bone in the middle of the chest and all the rips were torn,
saying "somebody must have stood on his chest, thereby forcing the rips to
tear off."
During cross-examination, Mr
Ahumah Ocansey, counsel for Telewu, Newland and Wisdom asked Dr Maale-Adsei
whether he found out about where Owusu-Sekyere's body was before it was brought
to him for autopsy.
Witness replied: "There was a
story that he was found under a building."
When counsel suggested to witness
that at the time Owusu-Sekyere was brought to him, he had been interred for 49
days, he said he learnt the deceased had been buried for several days.
Counsel suggested to witness that
a bulldozer was used to excavate the body of Owusu-Sekyere from the foundation
of a building, but he said he was not aware.
Mr Ayikoi Otoo, counsel for Dodoo,
Mills and Odai suggested to witness that as a doctor what he had told the court
might be his opinion as to what might have caused the death of the deceased.
In response, Dr Maale-Adsei said:
"I have come to tell the court what I saw."
Sitting continues on Tuesday.
GRi…/
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Man jailed 10 ten
years for stealing
Tema (Greater Accra) 27 March 2001
Francis Yaw Agyare, 44,
unemployed, was on Monday sentenced to 10 years in jail for stealing 30.2 million
cedis worth of items by a Tema Circuit Tribunal.
He pleaded guilty to stealing a
quantity of clothing, men's wear, electrical gadgets, including television
sets, kitchen items, and footwear belonging to Mr Johnny Goodman, a clearing
agent and his family.
Police Inspector Majorie Otebil
told the tribunal, chaired by Mr Ringo Cass Azumah, said last February 24, Mr
Goodman had his lunch in his house at Tema, Site 14, and wanted the accused
person who run errands for him (Goodman) to have his share of the food.
She said the accused who was seen
around vanished in no time so Mr Goodman and his wife searched the rooms in his
house and found him hiding under a mattress in his (Goodman's) mother's room.
Realising his crime, the accused
person vanished from the house immediately and this compelled the complainant
to thoroughly search the rooms and detected the loss of the items which were
taken gradually.
A complaint was lodged with the
police whose investigations led to the arrest of the accused from his hideout
at Ashaiman on March 5.
GRi…/
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