Maria
Djentuh charged with unlawful damage
Jurisdiction
of Circuit Courts expanded
Accra
(Greater Accra) 01 September 2000
Maria
O'Sullivan Djentuh, an estate developer, who together with her husband Tony,
were on Wednesday bonded to be of good behaviour for 12 months, is to stand
trial for another offence. This time she and five others are to appear before a
Circuit Court on September Four, for allegedly causing damage to buildings
belonging to nine persons at Batsoona on the Spintex Road.
They are
charged with five counts of conspiracy, forcible entry, causing unlawful
damage, aiding and abetment, and fraudulent transaction.
The accused
persons have all pleaded not guilty and are each on a 10 million-cedi bail. They
are Samuel Amoo Quaye, a contractor, Isaac Abban, a tractor operator, Joseph
Bortei Bortier, a chainsaw operator, Samuel Bortei Borketey, a driver and Nii
Sesey Bortei, a fisherman.
According
to the prosecution, sometime last year, the nine complainants bought separate
plots of land from Borketey, Bortier and Bortei and obtained relevant documents
to cover them.
All the
complainants started developing their land when between May and June, last
year, Maria, who claimed to have acquired the land for an estate, allegedly
engaged the services of Quaye to pull down all the structures.
The
complainants reported the matter to the Police and after investigations it was
found that it was Bortier, Borketey and Bortei who sold the land to the nine
complainants and Maria.
Earlier on
Wednesday, an Accra Circuit Tribunal bonded the Djentuhs after convicting them
for assault of public officer and offensive conduct.
That
tribunal found them guilty of assault of a public officer while his wife was
acquitted and discharged. It acquitted and discharged both of them on the
charge of deceit of public officer.
The cases
of the Djentuhs, has attracted a lot of local and international attention
because their son, Selassie, was the boyfriend of Ezanetor Rawlings, the first
daughter of the First Family.
GRi…/
Accra
(Greater Accra) 01 September 2000
A principal
accountant of the Mamprobi Polyclinic who failed to account for 34.4 million
cedis belonging to the clinic appeared before an Accra Circuit Tribunal on
Thursday charged with stealing.
Emmanuel
Afful, 51, pleaded not guilty and was granted 40 million cedis bail with one
surety to be justified.
He will
appear again on September 12.
Chief
Inspector Kofi Adu told the tribunal chaired by Mr. Imoru Ziblim that the
accused was in charge of the Accounts Units at the Mamprobi Polyclinic between
July 1998 and July 1999.
In March
last year, an Internal Auditor of the Ministry of Health detected that 27.5
million cedis was not accounted for.
Inspector
Adu said when the accused was questioned, he said he had used the money in the
day-to-day running of the clinic but failed to produce receipts to substantiate
his claim.
According
to the prosecutor, further investigations by External Auditors, detected that
the revenue that could not be accounted for had shot up to 34.4 million cedis.
GRi…/
Accra
(Greater Accra) 01 September 2000
The Cabinet
has approved a proposal to expand the jurisdiction of Circuit Courts.
At its
meeting in Accra on 22 August, it proposed that the Circuit Courts should
handle cases involving amounts or properties of value not exceeding 100
million. Hitherto, it could only handle cases of amounts and property not
exceeding 10 million cedis.
A statement
issued in Accra by Mr. J.K. Bebaako Mensah, Secretary to the Cabinet said the
expanded jurisdiction would enable the Circuit Courts to deal with a wider
range of cases and relieve the higher courts of them.
It
requested the Attorney General to submit a Bill to Parliament to amend the Courts
Act 1993 (Act 459) to reflect the proposed order.
"Similarly,
the community tribunals' civil jurisdiction will be extended from the present
limit of cases involving values not exceeding five million cedis, to a new
limit of 10 million cedis."
Cabinet proposed
an increase in the maximum fine that the Community Tribunals can impose from
200,000 or a term not exceeding two years to 10 million cedis. Length of
custodial sentencing stays the same.
According
the Cabinet, this translates into 500 penalty units, which is in line with the
level of penalties in other legislation.
GRi…/
Accra
(Greater Accra) 01 September 2000
Nine
Nigerians charged with being in Ghana illegally have been sentenced to two
months imprisonment each, by the Osu Community Tribunal and would be
repatriated after serving their terms..
Michael
Fatimah, a spiritualist, Muri Abdulai, Olu Adebayo, Fred John Adeola Johnson,
Godwin Olunuua and Michael Okeke Oraca, all traders, Aakim Alabi and Tunde Ayo,
truck pushers and Shola Kofi, a student, all pleaded guilty.
Inspector
Anim told the court presided over by Mrs. Ivy Heyward Mills that on August 14,
reports reached the police that about 15 Nigerians living in two separate
houses at Avenor, Accra, were suspected to be dealing in human blood.
He said on
August 16, Fatimah, Abdulai, Adebayo and Alabi were arrested in a room at
Avenor. When their room was searched several documents, including invitations
and addresses of external investors, which suggested they were engaged in
"419" fraud, were found.
According
to the prosecutor, Fatimah claimed ownership of the documents and said his
clients brought them to him for special prayers.
Inspector
Anim said Adeolu, Olunuua, Oraka, Kofi, and Ayo were also arrested in a room in
another house where a book full of addresses was found, suggesting that they
were being used in the 419 fraud business. Oraka claimed ownership of the book
saying the addresses were those of his pen pals.
Inspector
Anim added that, in their cautioned statements, all of them admitted to being
in the country without valid documents.
GRi…/