Mallam Yusif Isa granted 500 million cedis bail
Soldier in court for causing unlawful harm
Mallam Yusif Isa granted 500 million cedis bail
Accra
(Greater Accra) 08 May 2001
An Accra
High Court on Monday granted 500 million cedis bail to Mallam Ali Yusif Isa,
the sacked Minister of Youth and Sports, when he made his first appearance over
the loss of 46,000 dollars meant as winning bonus and imprest for the Black
Stars.
Mallam
Isa pleaded not guilty to stealing and fraudulently causing financial loss to
the state.
The
court presided over by Justice Julius Ansah ordered that Mallam Isa
should
submit title deeds to be inspected by the court's registry.
It also
ordered Mallam Isa to report to the Criminal Investigations
Department
(CID) at the Police Headquarters at 0900 hours three times a week - Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays.
Justice
Ansah warned both the prosecution and the defence that under the
fast
track court established a month ago, proceedings would continue even if they
failed to attend court. Mallam Isa is scheduled to appear again on May 14.
Prosecuting
Mr Anthony Gyambiby, State Attorney, said on March 14, this
year,
"The Dispatch" a private weekly
published the story of the loss of 46,000 dollars given to the ex-
minister. The money was to be disbursed
as bonuses and imprest to players of the national senior football team and
officials during a world cup qualifying match in the Sudan on February 25.
Mr
Gyambiby said following the publication the police administration set
up a
committee of enquiry to investigate the circumstances leading to the loss of
the money.
He said
investigations showed that on February 21, Mr Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah, acting
Chairman of GFA, Mr Daniel Prime, Acting Chief Director, Mr Walanyo Agrah,
General Secretary of GFA and Mr La Danso, a member of GFA met with Mallam Isa
and discussed the trip to the Sudan.
Mr
Gyambiby said although the money for the payment of winning bonus,
per
diem and imprest was not ready, it was decided that the players and some
officials should leave for Sudan on the night of February 21 to enable them to
acclimatise.
It was
agreed that Mallam Isa should bring the money when it was
released.
He said
the release of the money was processed on February 23, and Mr
James
Piimi, Principal Accountant, gave it to the ex-minister. The money was in three
parcels of 46,000 dollars for the winning bonus and imprest, 8,686 dollars for
per diem and 1,042 dollars per diem for the ex-minister himself.
Mr
Gyambiby said Mallam Isa put the 46,000 dollars and some items
including
an audit report in his green suitcase, which he used for the trip and kept the
remaining in his briefcase, which he carried with him.
The State
Attorney said investigations, however, revealed that before
the
ex-minister left Accra to Sudan on February 23, he removed the 46,000 dollars
from the green suit case and put it in his flat black bag which he usually
carried to the office.
He said
earlier, Mr Agrah, whose advice Mallam Isa sought told him to
put the
money in his briefcase instead of the green suitcase.
According
to Mr Gyambiby investigations also disclosed that the accused
person
did not use the flat black security bag in which he put the 46,000 dollars for
the trip.
He said
further investigations revealed that Mallam Isa before finally
going
to the airport in the evening of February 23, passed through the house.
The
State Attorney said on arrival in Sudan on Sunday February 25, via
Amsterdam
and Frankfurt, Mr Kojo Bonsu who had travelled on the same flight with the
accused person, went to check out Mallam Isa's luggage and discovered that the
green suitcase had not arrived.
He said
Mr Bonsu informed Mallam Isa about it and arrangements were made
with
the Lufthansa airline on which they travelled from Frankfurt to Sudan for its
retrieval.
Mr
Gyambiby said the green suitcase was eventually retrieved after it
was
discovered in Frankfurt and re-directed through London to Khartoum on the day
of their departure from Sudan on February 28.
The
ex-minister claimed that when he opened the suitcase he found that
the
46,000 dollars and some items, including the audit report, were missing, and he
informed Mr Bonsu and other officials about it, the State attorney said.
He said
when Mr Bonsu brought the suitcase the handle had broken and one
of the
wheels had peeled off creating a small hole at the bottom.
The
State Attorney said when the accused person arrived in Ghana, he
briefed
a friend called Babangida about the missing money who advised him to inform
Alhaji Aliu Mahama, the Vice President about it.
Mr
Gyambiby said investigations, however, showed that he did not inform
the
Vice President about it until the story was published on March 14.
The
State Attorney said he would lead evidences to establish
circumstances,
which would show that the accused person dishonestly appropriated the 46,000
dollars.
The
prosecution said it would also lead evidence that he did not go to
Sudan
with the money and that the audit report he said got missing with other items
from the suitcase was found in his room during a search by the committee.
It said
it would show that the combination numbers of the green suitcase
was not
tampered with and the hole under it was too small to allow items the accused
person claimed were missing to be pulled out through it.
Pleading
for bail, Alhaji Nuhu-Billa, counsel for Mallam Isa said he
accepted
the charge for fraudulently causing financial loss to the state, adding, "we
are prepared to mobilise funds to pay back."
Mr
Gyambiby said if the accused person accepted the second charge, then
he
should not have pleaded not guilty.
The
court refused defence counsel's request for two weeks adjournment.
GRi.../
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Soldier in court for causing unlawful harm
Accra
(Greater Accra) 08 May 2001
Warrant
Officer Class One (WO1) Frankie Davis Kotei of the 37 Military Hospital, was on
Monday arraigned before an Accra Circuit Tribunal in connection with the
destruction of a 15.6 million-cedi fence wall built by Mr Edward Mensah, a
self-employed man.
WO1
Kotei who pleaded not guilty to two counts of forcible entry and causing
unlawful harm was granted a 50 million-cedi bail with one surety to be
justified.
He is
to reappear on June 5.
Prosecuting,
Chief Inspector James Adu told the tribunal chaired by
Elisabeth
Anderson Yeboah that Mr Mensah built a wall valued at 15.6 million cedis to
enclose his land at Okpoi-Gonno, Nungua, in Accra.
He said
on August 23, 1998, Mensah was at the site when WO1 Kotei came with soldiers
and also claimed ownership of the same land.
The
tribunal further heard that the accused person then demolished a section of the
wall.
On
September 1, 1998, WO1 Kotei again went to the land with a military
vehicle
carrying about 11 soldiers and four civilians who helped him demolish the
remaining wall.
Chief
Inspector Adu said Mr Mensah reported the incident to the police.
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 08 May 2001
A
21-year-old taxi driver was on Monday remanded into prison custody by the Adjabeng
Community Tribunal charged with three counts of agreeing to steal, stealing and
possession of implements for unlawful entry.
Harry
Gaisie pleaded not guilty on all three counts and the tribunal,
chaired
by Mrs Jennifer Tagoe, directed the accused person to reappear on May 14.
Inspector
Michael Asamoah told the court that a friend gave a lift to
Madam
Sussie Thomas, a housewife at Tesano, to Santana Market Junction, near the
Tesano traffic light, to buy a flowerpot.
The
accused person and three others, now at large, using an Opel Kadett
Taxicab,
with registration number GT 6002 C, laid ambush behind a garage near where the
flowerpots were sold.
Just as
Madam Thomas got off from the vehicle and started bargaining, Gaisie rushed to
her car and picked her handbag valued at 250 dollars.
The bag
contained a "Louis Vitan" purse valued 60 pounds and a
"Fendi"
address
book valued at 100 dollars and cash of 300,000 cedis. All the items were valued
at 3.6 million cedis.
Inspector
Asamoah said as soon as Gaisie took the handbag, he jumped into the taxicab and
they sped off.
An
eyewitness took Madam Thomas in his car and chased Gaisie and his
accomplices,
but they disappeared.
Inspector
Asamoah said a police patrol team got wind of the activities of the accused persons
and started chasing them till they got to Sukura where they abandoned the
taxicab and each took to their heels.
Inhabitants
of the area arrested them and handed them over to the patrol team.
The
prosecution said the police, during a search on the taxicab, retrieved the
complainant's handbag but without its contents, a black handbag containing a
laptop computer and two vehicle registration number plates bearing numbers GW
5096 R and GR 257 N.
Police
investigations revealed that the number GW 5096 R found in the car is the
original registration number of taxicab. The number GT 6002 C and the other
number plate were fake.
The
prosecutor said a further search in the accused persons' rooms revealed another
number plate, GR 9099 hidden under his bed.
GRi.../
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