Tribunal grants bail to MD in tax evasion case
Teacher remanded for extortion
Court adjourned self-styled pastor's case
Accra (Greater Accra) 13 October 2001 - An Accra Regional Tribunal on Friday granted an application for bail for Boniface Amandi, Managing Director (MD) of Aluminium
Enterprises Limited (AEL), Tema, who is being held for tax evasion.
When Amandi appeared before an Osu Community Tribunal on Wednesday, October 10 for evading tax the tribunal turned down his counsel's application for bail.
The tribunal, chaired by Mr George Agyekum Nana Donkor, remanded the accused person in prison custody for one week and ordered that he be sent daily to the offices of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to assist in investigations.
At the community tribunal the prosecution said for five years, from 1995 to 2,000 Amandi's company was in corporate tax arrears and penalties totalling 570 million cedis.
In his submissions before the three-member tribunal, chaired by Mr Justice Adu Gyamfi, Mr Tom Ahlijah, counsel for the accused person said his client was not a "recalcitrant tax dodger" but had rather conformed consistently to the country's tax regulations by furnishing IRS with his returns.
Mr Ahlijah said from 1995 to 1999, AEL made five per cent withholding taxes to the IRS totalling 495 million cedis. Counsel said an IRS letter dated May 9 indicated that the company paid taxes to the tune of 243.5 million cedis.
His said if the withholding tax of 495 million cedis had been taken into account, the two monies would have amounted to 738.6 million cedis.
Mr Ahlijah submitted that it was clear from the foregoing that his client's company did not owe any tax arrears as IRS is alleging.
The tribunal agreed with counsel that, "the whole matter is about reconciliation of accounts," and therefore granted his application for bail.
GRi../
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Cape Coast (Central Region) 13 October 2001 - Anthony Sam, a 54-year old teacher was on Friday remanded by a Cape Coast Circuit Court for extorting moneys from two parents under the pretext of helping their wards to gain admission to Mfantsipim School.
The accused who took one million cedis cheque each from Ms. Pearl Tamakloe and Mr. Edward Ayisi-Addo, pleaded not guilty and would re-appear on Friday, October 19.
The court presided over by Mr. Tom Bentil, heard that on September 21, this year, Sam introduced himself to the victims as a cousin of Mr. Crosby Ashun, headmaster of Mfantsipim and offered to assist their wards to gain admission to the school.
The victims allegedly gave bankers drafts of one million cedis each to Sam for the headmaster to cover the school fees of the children.
Sam later told the two parents that the headmaster "had accepted everything" and gave each of them prospectus he took from Mr. Crosby.
In addition, Sam requested one million cedis from the victims to be given to Mr. Crosby for his efforts. They readily gave him 500,000 cedis each for the headmaster and 140,000 cedis to cover his transportation.
On Friday October 5, Ms. Tamakloe and Mr. Ayisi-Addo invited Sam to accompany them to Cape Coast to check on the admissions of their wards. Sam could not make the trip to Cape Coast, instead he gave them a letter to the headmaster, asking him to give them the receipts covering the bankers' drafts he gave to him.
The victims went to the headmaster, who denied knowing Sam. When the accused (Sam) was brought before the headmaster, he confessed that he did not know Mr. Ashun.
Sam was handed over to the police who were able to retrieve the banker's drafts and the 1,140,000 cedis.
GRi../
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Court adjourned self-styled pastor's case
Koforidua (Eastern Region) 13 October 2001 - A Koforidua Circuit Tribunal on Thursday adjourned until October 22, a case in which a self-styled Pastor is standing trial for allegedly having unnatural canal knowledge of a driver.
Kwabena Ebo of the Twelve Apostles' Church at Koforidua has pleaded not guilty to the charge of indecent assault and is on 10 million cedis bail.
According to the Prosecution, Ebo on September 6, met the victim in town and told him that he needed prayers to save him from some spirits who were worrying him.
He then took the victim to his room and after rubbing his face with a liquid, he became unconscious. The victim, after regaining consciousness realised that Ebo had had carnal knowledge of him and when he confronted him, the self-styled Pastor pleaded with him not to inform anybody.
Meanwhile, Ebo, during interrogation denied the allegation and said he had been framed.
GRi../
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