GRi in Court Ghana
11 - 10 - 2001
Three
Wesley Grammar students before tribunal for theft
Woman
requests spiritual healing for psychiatric son
Kejetia
Traders Association file contempt motion
Fraudulent
teacher to be put before court
Mother
and daughter charged for murdering five-day-old baby
Quality Grain spent 12 m dollars for services
not rendered
Accra
(Greater Accra) 11 October 2001 - An Accra Circuit tribunal on Wednesday
remanded in prison custody, three students of Wesley Grammar School, who
allegedly broke into the school's accounts office and made away with items
worth, 14.120 million cedis.
The items
include cash counting and sika card machines, two sets of staplers, a packet of
pens and a wall clock. Richard Kankam, 18, Kwadwo Tutu, 15 and Baffour Frimpong
18 who pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, unlawful entry and stealing are
schedule to re-appear on October 17.
Two
persons, Kwadwo Dankwah, a mechanic and Albert Obeng Sika, a trader who were
charged with harbouring criminals appeared in the dock with the students and
were also remanded in prison custody to re-appear on October 17.
The
tribunal, chaired by Mr. Imoru Ziblim ordered that the police of Asokwa in
Kumasi should release the 1.5 million cedis retrieved from the accused to the
police in Accra for the purpose of prosecution.
Prosecuting,
Police Chief Inspector James K. Adu said on October 2, this year, the
complainant, who is the school's headmaster, was informed that thieves had
broken into the accounts office and had made away with unspecified items.
Chief
Inspector Adu said while investigations were going on, the police had a
telephone call from the Social Security Bank (SSB) Kokomlemle branch that
Kankam had come there to withdraw money with sika card bearing the name of the
school. Kankam was subsequently arrested by the police and he mentioned Tutu
and Frimpong as his accomplices.
The
prosecutor said when the police conducted a search in Kankam's room they found
some of the stolen items there. Tutu and Frimpong then bolted away to Kumasi
with the cash counting machine valued at 11.5 million cedis and lodged with
Dankwah and Sika to enable them to sell it.
Chief
Inspector Adu said Dankwah and Sika after reading about the theft at the school
in the media the following day, alerted the police at Asokwa and they were
arrested together with the students.
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Tema
(Greater Accra) 11 October 2001 - The mother of a psychiatric patient on
Wednesday appealed to the Tema Circuit Tribunal to release her son facing
narcotic offence for spiritual healing instead of medical treatment.
The woman
said she has faith in spiritual healing than the scientific treatment because
her son, Edmund Osusey Ofoe, 25 years old Organist, has been receiving
treatment at the Accra Psychiatric and the Pantang Hospitals without any
success. "I saw some improvement in my son's health when I took him to a
prayer camp at Mamfe."
The Panel
Chairman, Mr Ringo Cass Azumah, however, turned down the woman's request and
ordered that Ofoe be sent back to the psychiatric hospital because narcotic
patients could not be healed spiritually. Ofoe, who has been diagnosed as a
mental patient, is facing a charge of possessing narcotic drugs.
Chief
Inspector Bernard K. Agbedanu said that Ofoe escaped from a prayer healing camp
at Mamfe, near Aburi in the Eastern Region where he was receiving treatment to
his paternal home at Big Ada in the Dangme East District to cause trouble.
At Big Ada,
he said, accused continuously misbehaved so the Police was invited and found
nine wrappers of a substance suspected to be Indian hemp concealed in a black
carrier bag found on him.
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Kumasi
(Ashanti Region) 11 October 2001 - The Kejetia Traders Association (Mighty 18)
have filed a motion at a Kumasi High Court seeking attachment and the committal
of six traders to prison for flouting the orders of the court and thereby
eroding its dignity and obstructing the administration of justice.
The motion,
filed on behalf of the association by Nana Samuel Kofi Boateng, its chairman,
is also seeking an order or relief the court may deem fit.
An
affidavit in support of the motion said on November 2, 1999, Mr Justice G. M.
Quaye entered final judgement against the defendants, Agyeman Boateng, Andrews
Manu, Joseph Owusu Afriyie, Otuo Acheampong, Kwaku Dadzie and Yaa Konadu in the
case of the occupancy of the North Suntreso stores.
It said
upon this judgement, the High Court granted an ex-parte application under order
47 of the rules of the court, for a writ of possession to eject the respondents
from certain stores at North Suntreso.
The
affidavit said after the issuance of the writ of possession, the respondents
were ejected from about 44 stores that formed the subject matter of the
judgement and the writ of possession.
It said
after their ejection, they filed a motion seeking to set aside the order of the
court granting the leave for the issuance of the writ of possession.
The
affidavit said in July this year, Mr Justice Quaye dismissed the application
and made certain orders authorising the Registrar of the court to determine the
authenticity of receipts of the applications.
It said on
September 25, 2001, Mr Justice F. Kusi Appiah set aside the consequential
orders and ordered the Registrar to release all keys of the said stores, to the
plaintiffs' Association through its chairman.
On
September 27, 2001, the affidavit said, the contemnors went to Fox and Otec
Radio stations and declared on air that they had been ordered to take
possession of the stores save and except that Nana Boateng had ran away with
the keys.
It said on
the same day, the contemnors in disregard to the orders of the court,
unlawfully forced open the doors of the stores and took possession of the
stores after destroying the padlocks.
The
affidavit said when this happened the solicitor of the plaintiffs warned the
contemnors that their conduct amounted to contempt of court. However, their
solicitors wrote back that judgement was given in their favour and that the
plaintiff could not pursue contempt proceedings against them.
It,
therefore, prayed the court that the contemnors be attached and punished
severely for obstructing the administration of justice and for attempting to erode
the dignity of the court deliberately, consciously, disrespectfully and
maliciously.
It asked
that the contemnors or anyone occupying any of the stores be ordered to vacate
the stores within 24 hours or be committed to prison for not obeying the court.
The
affidavit is asking that the respondents or contemnors be ordered to hand over
all the new keys to the stores to the Chairman of the plaintiffs
association. Apart from punishing the
contemnors, the court should cause them to sign a bond never to interfere with
the possession of the stores permanently and perpetually.
It asked
that the contemnors be ordered to go to the said FM stations to personally
correct the information they falsely presented to the stations and in addition
apologise for their misrepresentation.
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Cape Coast
(Central Region) 11 October 2001 - Anthony Sam, the 54-year old teacher, who
collected two million cedis from two parents to 'give' to the headmaster of the
Mfantsipim School to induce him to admit their children, would be arraigned on
Friday October 12.
Sam, who
was arrested and detained at the Central Police Station in Cape Coast on
Monday, has meanwhile, been granted a police enquiry bail of two million cedis.
The
investigator in charge of the case, Inspector Kofi Amakye told the Ghana News
Agency at Cape Coast on Wednesday that Sam has already refunded the money.
Mr Sam was
arrested and detained by the police for falsely presenting himself as a cousin
of Mr Crosby Ashun, the Headmaster and collected the amount from one Mr Edward
Ayisi-Addo and Ms Pearl Tamakloe to "thank" Mr Ashun.
Sam further
implicated the Headmaster by sending the two with a letter to him on Friday
October 5, asking him to give them receipts to bankers' drafts covering the
boys' school fees he claimed to have given to the Headmaster earlier.
Mr Ashun
denied the claim and demanded that Sam be brought to Cape Coast to verify the
truth. Sam admitted taking the money
and confessed that the contents of the letter were false.
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Nkawie
(Ashanti Region) 11 October 2001 - Nana Ataa Serwah and her daughter Afua Asantewaah
from Mpasatia in Ashanti have appeared before the Atwima District Tribunal at
Nkawie for allegedly murdering a five-day old baby boy.
The accused
persons, whose plea was not taken, were each granted ten million-cedi
bail. They will re-appear on October
15.
The
Prosecution told the tribunal chaired by Kwaku Dampase that Asantewaa gave
birth to a baby boy on September 7 at Mpasatia. She is said to have sent for
her mother Nana Serwah from Kumasi who came two days later.
The accused
persons who were sleeping in a room with the baby claimed that the child had
vanished. A search party later found the baby drowned in a bowl-full of water. A
report was made to the police and the two were arrested.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 11 October 2001 - Ms Juliet Renee Woodard, a director of the Quality Grain Company, Ghana Limited obtained a 12-million dollar loan from the Government in 1998 for payment of services not rendered at the Aveyime rice project, a prosecution witness told the Fast Track Court on Thursday.
The witness, Mr Theophilus Cudjoe, Deputy Executive Director (Investigations) of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said investigations showed that James McGuard, one of the directors of the Quality Grain, was to render the services.
Mr Cudjoe was continuing his evidence-in-chief in the case in which six persons including two former ministers of state are charged with conspiracy and wilfully causing financial loss to the state.
Led by Mr Osafo Sampong, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), witness said AGRITECH signed a 14-million dollar contract with Quality Grain for negotiations and payment of compensation to farmers on the project site, and preparation of feasibility studies.
Investigations showed that AGRTECH never offered any services but rather sub-contracted the agreement to Quality Grain, Mr Cudjoe said.
Witness said it was the government that paid the compensation to farmers but the agreement stated that, as one of the services to be provided and for which the government granted the loan.
The accused persons are, Ibrahim Adam, a former Minister of Food and Agriculture and Kwame Peprah, former Finance Minister, Dr Samuel Dapaah, Dr George Yankey, 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.
Mr Cudjoe said further investigations showed that the company spent five out of 12 million dollars given to it as loan for the purchase of farm equipment. He said obtained part of his information from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), which was investigating the Quality Grain Incorporated in the US.
Mr Cudjoe said further investigations showed that Ms Woodard is a director of the company and had investments and securities in the US.
Witness tendered several documents on various agreements signed by Peprah on behalf of the government, Ms Woodard for Quality Grain and Vice President of South Trust Bank in the US, which disbursed the loans.
Mr Cudjoe said his investigations also showed that the bank at one time objected to Mr McGuard being a supplier to a company of which he was a director.
Witness said it was through Dr Yankey's initiative that the Quality Grain obtained loans from the South Trust Bank and the Exim Bank in the US. Hearing continues on Monday, October 15.
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