GRi in Court Ghana 10 - 10 - 2001
Prosecution directed to give copies of
documents to defence
Two employees of insurance company remanded
for theft
Judicial Committee dismisses Gbese Mantse's application
Prosecution directed to give copies of
documents to defence
Accra (Greater Accra) 10 October 2001-The Fast Track Court hearing the Quality Grain case on Tuesday directed the prosecution to provide copies of documents it intended to tender to the defence to ensure a speedy trial.
The court, presided over by Mr Justice Kwame Afreh said this would also enable the six accused persons including two former Ministers of State to adequately prepare for their defence.
It, therefore, adjourned proceedings to Thursday, October 11. The court observed that a set of voluminous documents, which a prosecution witness wanted to tender, slowed down proceedings since defence counsel had to examine them whether they should be admitted in evidence.
The defence made an appeal to the prosecution to make copies of the documents, which were obtained from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in the United States on operations of the Quality Grain Company, Ghana Limited.
Earlier the witness, Mr Theophilus Cudjoe, Deputy Executive Director (Investigations) of the Serious Fraud Office, tendered documents on three separate meetings by a committee appointed by the former Vice President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills to deliberate on investigations by the SFO into the operations of the company.
Mr Cudjoe, who conducted the investigations, said members of the committee asked him to obtain all relevant documents on the agreement the government signed with Ms Juliet Woodard, a director of the company on the Aveyime rice project.
Witness said he contacted various agencies, including the FBI, which was investigating the operations of Quality Grain Company Incorporated in the US and which Ms Woodard is a director.
Mr Cudjoe said the FBI provided him with a set of documents on the operations of the company.
Those on trial are, Ibrahim Adam, former Minister of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), Kwame Peprah, former Finance Minister, Dr Samuel Dapaah, Dr George Yankey, Nana Ato Dadzie and Kwesi Ahwoi, all former senior public officials. They have pleaded not guilty and each of them is on a self-recognisance bail.
GRi…/
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Two employees of insurance company remanded
for theft
Accra (Greater Accra) 10 October 2001 - An Accra Circuit Tribunal on Tuesday remanded in prison custody two employees of the Metropolitan Insurance Company Limited for allegedly stealing 64.524 million cedis from the company's account at the
Ecobank Ghana Limited.
Hope Kwasi Nanevie, a chartered insurer and Augustine Kobina Appiah, an accountant who pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and stealing will appear again on October 17.
The tribunal chaired by Mr. Mohanmmed Nabon heard that on March 7, 1997, the company entered into an agreement with the General Leasing and Finance Company Limited to purchase a Volvo S70 GLE Saloon car valued at 64.524 million cedis.
On March 19, 1997, Nanevie and Appiah, who were aware of the agreement jointly signed the company's cheque and withdrew the money meant for the purchase of the car from its account but did not send the money to Multi Choice Tech Services, the supplier of the car.
The accused persons managed to cover the deal until the account of the company was audited this year. During police investigations, the accused persons admitted signing the cheque but could not account for the money, the Prosecution said.
GRi ../
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Dodowa (Greater Accra) 10 October 2001 - The Judicial Committee of the Greater-Accra
Regional House of Chiefs, on Monday dismissed a preliminary objection by Nii Ayitey Agbofu II, Gbese Mantse against the inclusion of the Sempe Mantse, Nii Adote Obour, on the panel of the judicial committee hearing a suit against his eligibility as Gbese Mantse.
The Sempe Mantse, who is the acting President of the Ga Traditional Council, is chairman of the four-member panel adjudicating in the suit filed by one of the three royal families of the Gbese Stool.
The other panel members are Nii Ofosu Obli IV, Kpone Mankralo, Nene Kanor Atiapah III, Old Ningo Mankralo and Mr Emmanuel Komatsi, Counsel/Recorder. In the suit, Nii Tetteh Ahinakwah II, head of Nii Akwetey Krobo Saki Royal Family, challenged the nomination, election and installation of Nii Agbofu as Gbese Mantse.
Nii Agbofu argued that under customary law, the Gbese Mantse should act in the absence of the Ga Mantse as the President of the Traditional Council.
He said since Nii Obour is presently occupying that position and also incidentally the Chairman of the panel, he would naturally be biased against him and therefore called for his withdrawal as a member of the committee.
Dismissing the application, Mr Komatsi who read the committee's ruling said since the Sempe Mantse was only one of the four panel members, he could not in any way influence any majority decision on the matter.
Mr Komatsi said the committee found Nii Agbofu's argument unsound and dismissed the application as being unmeritorious. In the interest of peace, the committee declined to award any costs against Nii Agbofu, and adjourned proceedings to Monday, October 22 for continuation of the substantive case.
Nii Ahinakwah is seeking a declaration for a perpetual injunction by the committee to restrain Nii Agbofu from exercising powers as the occupant of the Gbese stool.
Nii Ahinakwah brought the matter before the committee in 1986 drawing claiming that Nii Agbofu is not a member of any of the three royal ruling houses of the Gbese Stool. He therefore asked the committee to nullify his nomination, election and installation.
GRi./
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