Fake lawyer to open defence on August 22
Jack Bebli to be committed on Oct 16
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 July 2000
A committal proceeding on Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) Jack Bebli, alleged to be the brain behind the highway gold robbery at Abotsia last year, has been fixed for October 16.
A source close to an Accra community tribunal, which made this known to the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday, said that when committed, Bebli would join six others at an Accra High Court to stand trial for robbery.
On two occasions in April and July, this year, the tribunal could not start the committal proceedings on Bebli because he was reported sick.
On February 16, last year, the six accused persons allegedly seized eight boxes of unrefined gold from a bullion van at Abotsia in the Central Region.
They are Philip Asamoah, alias Agingo, Isaac Frimpong, alias Nii Baby Tei, Patrick Boakye Mprah, Corporal James Doh, Augustus Oko Odartey, and Kofi Boakye, alias Kofi Bebli.
They were alleged to have held a series of meetings at Bebli's residence where they plotted to commit the offence.
In an attempt to flee to Abidjan with his share of the booty after the operation, Frimpong was arrested by the security agencies at the Elubo border.
Upon interrogation, he admitted the offence and mentioned the five others as accomplices. The gold, valued at 2.4 billion cedis, the property of Amansie Resource based in the Ashanti Region, was being conveyed to Accra.
GRi…/
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 July 2000
An Accra Circuit Tribunal on
Wednesday adjourned to August 22 a case in which a 37 year-old unemployed who
allegedly posed as a legal practitioner is standing trial.
The tribunal, chaired by Mrs.
Elizabeth Anderson Yebuah, adjourned the case because Mr. Effah Darteh, counsel
for the accused, is indisposed.
Ramsyer Hayford Awuku, alias Eric
Yaw Asiedu Boampong, has pleaded not guilty to impersonation, deceit of public
officer and fraud, and has been granted a 10 million-cedi bail with one surety
to be justified.
Prosecuting, Police Chief
Inspector Edward Antwi told the tribunal that Boampong adopted the name of a
prominent lawyer, Ramsyer Hayford Awuku, to deceive the public.
Chief Inspector Antwi said
Boampong, whose educational background is doubtful, has since 1994 posed as a
lawyer, and has been practising in the law courts and the tribunals at Suhum,
Nsawam, Asamankese, Nkawkaw, Kumasi and Accra.
He said on June 7, the accused,
who was based at Nsawam, dressed in a lawyer's attire, followed up a stealing case
against his clients who were assisting the police in their investigations at
the Police Headquarters in Accra to negotiate for their bail.
Chief Inspector Antwi said while
there, another lawyer who had once confronted the accused spotted him and alerted
the police.
The accused was subsequently
arrested and, during interrogation, he claimed that he was a lawyer with the
Internal Revenue Service.
Chief Inspector Antwi said earlier
in the day, Boampong had defrauded one Ms Vida Commey of 300,000 cedis at the
James Town Community Tribunal in Accra, where he posed as a lawyer to defend
the lady's brother who was alleged to be involved in drugs.
According to the prosecutor,
sometime last year, the accused wrote a letter to deceive the Commissioner of
Police /CID that he was a lawyer, a solicitor and an advocate of the Supreme
Court of Ghana.
He said fictitious documents,
including signed and stamped indentures, letterheads and seal, were found in
his room during a search.
GRi../
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 July 2000
An Accra Circuit Tribunal on Wednesday remanded in custody three persons two of them policemen, who are being tried for robbing two Niger nationals of 476.5 million cedis at Anyinam in the Eastern Region.
They are Mumuni Dauda, 39, trader charged for robbery and corporals Imoru Ibrahim, 42 and Kingsley Amankwa, 32,who are facing abetment of crime charge. They all pleaded not guilty and will appear again on August one.
The tribunal, chaired by Mrs. Elizabeth Anderson Yebuah, ordered the arrest of three other accomplices - Osei Kwarteng, Yaw Asare and one Eric who are on the run.
The prosecution’s case was that the complainants, Sulemana Idrisu and Kadri Issifu both currency dealers from Niger were robbed of the amount while returning to Kumasi from
Accra.
Mr. Idrisu, had come to Accra to change 43,000 dollars to cedis while Mr Issifu also changed 37,000 dollars.
After the transaction they boarded a bus for Kumasi. Dauda and the three others at large followed them in an unregistered vehicle, which overtook the bus and waited at Anyinam.
When the bus got to Anyinam a passenger requested the driver to stop for him to urinate.
Dauda and five others then attacked the passengers with pistols and AK 47 riffles given them by the two policemen.
The prosecution said the robbers seized 476.5 million cedis from the two currency dealers and bolted in their car.
They shared the booty at Kasoah, near Accra with Dauda collecting 78.9 million cedis.
Dauda was arrested at the Weija police barrier while returning to Accra.
GRi../