Man remanded for defiling four-year-old

Tribunal orders release of minor from prison

Story was based on "African Observer" - Coomson

Nineteen persons granted bail in Aplaku murder case

Driver convicted for stealing bus

Agona Swedru (Central Region) 21 May '99

A 33-year-old Akpeteshie distiller, who allegedly defiled a four-year-old daughter of his wife's senior sister, has been remanded in prison custody by an Agona Swedru Community Tribunal to reappear on June 17.

Kobina Ebo of Otabilkrom, near Agona Swedru, pleaded guilty.

The tribunal, presided over by Mr L. N. Bimpong, heard that on April 4, 1999, the mother of the victim left the girl in the care of her elder daughter, while she went to the farm.

When she returned in the evening, the victim was no where to be found and a search party, including the wife of the accused, was formed to look for her.

The accused was seen coming out from his house carrying the girl on his shoulder.

The prosecution said the victim, who is a day nursery pupil, refused to eat super and when the mother was bathing her, she detected bruises near her private part.

When the victim was questioned, she mentioned Kobina Ebo as having defiled her.

The accused admitted the offence and promised to bear the medical expenses.

The little girl, who was sent to the Swedru hospital, was referred to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital I Accra.

The wife of the accused, Ekua Nkrumah is helping the Police in their investigations for allegedly beating up the victim and her mother after the tribunal had remanded the accused in prison custody.

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Tema (Greater Accra) 21 May '99

The Tema Community Tribunal on Wednesday ordered the release of a 17-year-old boy who was jailed for six months, to his parents to be brought before a Juvenile Court.

This was after a member of the International Committee of Journalists on Children's Rights (ICJCR) had drawn the attention of the prosecutor that the accused, who pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing a bicycle, is 17 and therefore a juvenile.

Making the order, Capt. Philip Agbeyome (rtd), Chairman of the tribunal, remarked: "we don't gain anything by sending such a minor to prison only to make him a hardened criminal at the end of his sentence."

He, therefore, ordered the Ashaiman police to hand the boy over to his parents to keep him, and bring him before the Juvenile court on June 3.

Police Inspector Emmanuel Darkinson had told the tribunal before the boy was jailed that in December 1998, the minor who was a driver's mate at Ashaiman, hired the bicycle valued at 250,000 cedis and bolted with it.

He told the police after his arrest on May 12, that he sold the bicycle at Atimpoku in the Eastern Region for 70,000 cedis but he could not help the police to trace the bike when he was sent to the town.

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Accra (Greater Accra) 21 May '99

Nana Kofi Coomson, Managing Editor of the "Ghanaian Chronicle", on Thursday said a story he published about the government's alleged dealing in arms and drugs was taken from a story in the New York based " African Observer".

Coomson, who was opening his defence, said he quoted the weekly, which stated that "the government has been implicated in an arms and drug deal".

The accused is on trial with Eben Quarcoo, former editor of the "Free Press", on a charge of publishing reports likely to injure the reputation of the government.

Both have pleaded not guilty and are on a 10 million cedis bail each.

Coomson and Quarcoo in 1996, published in their papers that the NDC Government was dealing in arms and ammunition and drugs and that it was using proceeds from the drugs to purchase arms to destabilise the country in case it lost the December 1996 general elections.

Led in evidence by his attorney, Mr Akoto Ampaw, Coomson said before he wrote the story he contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but the sector minister and his deputy were not available for their comments.

Coomson said he wrote to the Castle for the Government's comments but could not get a reply.

He said he tried several times to contact Mr Frank Benneh, a former Ghanaian diplomat in Geveva, who was mentioned in the publication as the agent of the government in the alleged drug deal, but he could not get him for his comments.

Cross-examined by Mr Martin Amidu, Deputy Attorney - General, Coomson agreed with a suggestion that as a journalist, he knew that there was a distinction between facts and allegations.

Accused said he has no "substantial reason to disbelieve that my story was not factual".

Coomson said he could not answer for the editor of the "African Observer", upon whose story he relied and added that he expected the Government to publish a rejoinder since he found it difficult to get its comments.

Hearing continues on June two.

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Accra (Greater Accra) 21 May '99

An Accra circuit tribunal on Thursday ordered the Police to keep a 24-hour surveillance at Aplaku, a village in the Ga District where three persons died in a clash between two factions, in order to ensure peace.

It further ordered Police to assess and report to it on damage caused to property during the clash, which occurred on May 11.

The tribunal, chaired by Mr Charles Quist, gave the orders when he granted bail to 19 out of 22 persons charged with murder. They were granted 10 million cedis bail each, with two sureties to be justified, and are to re-appear on May 26.

The tribunal remanded in custody two of the remaining three - Otu Okurnor Sackey and Francis Tetteh Yartey, both farmers. It discharged the third, Francis Teye Padi, also a farmer.

Their pleas were not taken.

The tribunal rescinded a bench warrant it issued on May 13 for the arrest of Nii Kpakpo Allotey Bulley and Nii Quaye the second, both elders of Aplaku, who were alleged by defence to have fomented the crisis.

The decision of the tribunal followed an ex-parte motion filed by attorney for the two elders, Mr J.O. Amui, challenging the issuance of the warrant.

The motion was, however, not moved as Mr D.O. Lamptey, counsel for the accused persons, objected to it on the grounds that it should be on notice so that the defence could be heard too.

The tribunal upheld counsel's submissions and ruled that it must be on notice for all parties involved in the matter to be heard at the next adjourned date.

The case for the prosecution is that for sometime now, there have been disputes between the two factions, which led to a clash on May 11. Three persons died in the clash.

Initial Police investigations led to the arrest of the accused persons, the prosecution said.

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Kumasi (Asahnti Region) 22 May '99

A Kumasi Circuit Tribunal on Thursday sentenced a 36-year-old driver, James Oppong also known as Kofi Oppong, to 18 months' imprisonment in hard labour on his own plea for stealing a bus belonging to Miss Esther Amo, a Kumasi-based trader.

The tribunal, chaired by Mr Joseph Abanga, ordered that the bus with registration number AS 2212 Q be retrieved from the accused and returned to the owner.

Police Inspector John Afful, prosecuting, told the tribunal that Esther who stays at Old Tafo, in Kumasi, needed the assistance of a driver to operate the bus between Old Tafo and Kejetia.

He said Oppong was introduced to her as a good driver and he was employed. He accounted for the first day's sales and was never seen again until Esther made a report on the fourth day to the Ashanti Regional CID.

Inspector Afful said two days later, the police had a tip-off from Assin Daman in the Central Region that the vehicle had been seen at a prayer camp called "Mountains" at Fanti Nyankumasi.

When the minister in charge of the camp, Pastor Leo Baidoo, was contacted he mentioned Oppong as the one who brought the vehicle there for prayers because he alleged he was being haunted by some evil spirits.

Oppong, in his plea for mitigation, said it was not his intention to steal the vehicle but that he was hired by some traders to the central region.

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