Stadium disaster-Witness names 11
teargas-shooting policemen
$46,000 scandal-Mallam Isa's Counsel files
appeal and motion to stay proceedings
Stadium disaster-Witness names 11
teargas-shooting policemen
Accra (Greater Accra) 29 May 2001
Inspector John Yaw Ampomah, the policeman who deployed details at the Accra Sports Stadium on May 9, on Monday disclosed the names of his colleagues who carried arms during their operations.
They are Corporal T.A. Mahama, General Constables Sam Atidusi, K. Donkor, A Emmanuel and R Ofori. Others are J. Wudah, A. Joseph, P. Azumh, W. Nyamador, M. Kpodo and G. Gyamfi.
Testifying before the Presidential Commission probing the stadium disaster, Mr Ampomah also named Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Nana Koranteng Mintah as the officer who ordered the men to shoot.
Led in evidence by Mr Miguel Ribeiro, counsel to the commission, Inspector Ampomah said he, was told by WO Two Seth Dwamena, Chief Security Officer of the National Sports Council (NSC) that the armed policemen assigned duty at the stadium were going to perform special duties.
He said as the coordinator of police details at the stadium he was expected to work under Assistant Superintendents John Naami and Frank Awu.
Mr Ampomah said he moved toward the Ade Coker Stand at the end of the match, when he realised that some spectators were breaking chairs and throwing them onto the tartan tracks.
He said, as he got closer he saw CSP Mintah "walking briskly toward the scene of the commotion."
The Inspector of police said shortly after that he heard CSP Mintah shout, "shoot" and he saw smoke spreading out in the crowd and he also saw some "reddish" impressions being targeted at the crowd.
He told the commission that CSP Mintah directed the policemen and pointed to where they should target by saying, "shoot here, shoot there, shoot there."
Inspector Ampomah said even though he saw three other police officers, namely ASPs John Naami, B.B. Bakomora and P.K. Awu at the scene of the shooting, he did not hear them give orders to shoot, neither did he hear them give orders to stop.
Mr Ampomah told the commission that since he joined the Ghana Police Service some 27 years ago he has not had any training on riot control and has not seen any guidelines on it.
Earlier ASP Francis Ayittey Aryee, Assistant Staff Officer at the Police Headquarters had told the commission that even though he was not on duty and was not dressed in uniform he had access to the inner perimeter because he is a sports personality.
"Having been a national basketball coach for sometime I don't usually pay to enter the stadium to watch matches," he said.
He said he went to the scene of the commotion but did not notice the police officers and men who were conducting the operation because his focus was on the crowd, as he wanted to identify some people to arrest.
The commissioners were however stunned when he said he did not turn round to see the direction the shooting was coming from because he was concentrating on the crowd.
ASP Aryee admitted to a suggestion by Professor Akua Kuenyehia that his action was strange but said he could not explain why he failed to look in the direction of those firing the teargas.
GRi…/
Send your comments to news@ghanareview.com
$46,000 scandal-Mallam Isa's Counsel files
appeal and motion to stay proceedings
Accra (Greater Accra) 29 May 2001
Defence Counsel for Mallam Ali Yusuf Isa, ex-Minister of Youth and Sports said on Monday that he has filed an interlocutory appeal against the ruling of the Fast Track High Court that overruled his submission of no case against his client.
Mr Ambrose Dery said he has also filed a motion for stay of proceedings.
He told the court that he took the action because he was not happy with its ruling on his submission of no case against his client.
Mallam Isa is charged with stealing 46,000 dollars and fraudulently causing financial loss to the state. The money was meant as winning bonus for the Black Stars and imprest during a World Cup qualifying match in Sudan last February.
Mallam Isa has denied the charges and has been admitted to a 500 million-cedi bail with a surety to be justified.
As part of the bail conditions, the court ordered the accused person to deposit the title deed of a landed property with the registry of the court and report to the head of the CID on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Mr Dery last week submitted to the court that the prosecution had failed to adduce any evidence against his client.
However, the court presided over by Mr Justice Julius Ansah, an Appeal Court Judge sitting with additional responsibility as a High Court Judge, dismissed the submission saying after studying the charge sheet and the facts presented by the prosecution, a prima facie case had been established against the accused person and, therefore, ordered him to open his defence.
Mr Dery told the court that his grounds for the appeal are that its ruling is not supported by the evidence on record and that the trial judge erred in law in ruling that the republic established a prima facie case for which the accused person was called upon to open his defence, when elements of offences charged were not proved prima facie.
Mr Dery said: "the trial judge erred in law when he ruled that section 179A (3) (a) of the Criminal Code, 1960 Act 29 is constitutional and does not offend Article 19 (11) of the 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana, even though it does not define what action or omission constitutes the offence under the said section."
Counsel said: "the trial judge erred when he ruled that fraudulent per se is adequate to ground a criminal offence without a definition."
In an affidavit in support of a motion to stay proceedings, pending the determination of interlocutory appeal against the ruling, defence counsel stated that on May 23 he made a submission that no case had been made against the accused person on the two counts sufficiently (prima facie case) for him to answer.
Mr Dery said on May 24, Mr Justice Ansah dismissed a submission of no case and ordered that: "I open my defence in a ruling dated May 24".
Counsel said the appeals raise substantial issues of law to be determined by the Court of Appeal. They also raise issues and/or questions affecting his client's fundamental human rights for a fair trial and his right to personal liberty.
Mr Dery said his appeals have a great chance of success.
Hearing continues on Tuesday.
GRi…/
Send your comments to news@ghanareview.com