Thursday, January 28, 2010 (Front Page)
FOUR robbers who confessed to committing a string of robberies in Accra, leading to the death of a pastor of the Lighthouse Chapel International, Rev Peter Nii Addy, were yesterday sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment each with hard labour.
The four — Yaw Asamoah, Kofi Yeboah, Ebo Kwabena and Osei Prempeh — pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy and robbery and were, accordingly, sentenced to serve 20 years each on each count.
The sentences are to run concurrently.
They are standing trial in another court for the murder of Rev Addy.
Prior to their sentencing, the four, who are already serving a 17-year sentence imposed on them by another court, had admitted committing robberies in two different households in November and December 2009, in the course of which they made away with a pump action gun, a box full of cartridges, a car key, cellular phones, a laptop, GH¢70 and other valuable items running into thousands of cedis.
They later used the pump action gun they had forcibly taken from a banker’s house to kill Rev Addy, 26, who had travelled to Accra with his pregnant wife to attend a colleague’s wedding.
Ebo Kwabena was sentenced to an additional 20 years’ imprisonment with hard labour after he had admitted robbing a household at Dokuna, a suburb of Accra, of five cellular phones and GH¢1,700 and shot a young man in the leg.
Kwabena, who spoke Twi, said he had offended God, Ghanaians and the justice system and was, accordingly, pleading with the court not to hand him a harsh sentence.
According to Kwabena, who spoke amid sobs, he was already facing a 17-year sentence and was about to face additional charges at the High Court and for that reason the court should have mercy on him.
The court, presided over by Mrs Patience Mills-Tetteh, sentenced him to 20 years’ imprisonment with hard labour and further ordered that the pump action gun which was forcibly taken away from a banker by the robbers be returned to the banker.
It gave the order after it had satisfied itself with the fact that the banker had registered his gun.
However, the three others claimed they had not been present during the Donkuna robbery and the court adjourned the matter to February 9, 2010 for a full trial.
According to Yeboah, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) concocted stories against him and the others.
He said, for instance, that the CID said one of the robbery victims lived in an uncompleted house, which was not true, because the house was a fully completed one.
According to him, he pleaded guilty because the investigators had advised him to do so and further stated that some of the facts were not true.
Asamoah, for his part, said he was the second person to be arrested by the police but the charge sheet described him as the first accused person.
Some few minutes after the hearing of the case, a photojournalist from the Daily Guide newspaper was brutally assaulted by prison guards who escorted the convicted robbers from the courtroom.
The photojournalist had attempted to take pictures of the convicted robbers but the prison guards did not take kindly to that and seized his camera and cellular phones and handed him slaps.
The photojournalist, who resisted the prison officers’ attempt to seize his camera, was eventually locked up in cells on the orders of a High Court judge, Mr James B. Benson.
The prison officers were said to have informed the judge, who had heard the commotion from his courtroom, that the photojournalist was being unruly.
He spent more than three hours among the very convicted criminals whose photographs he had attempted to take.
Narrating his ordeal to his colleagues after his release, the photojournalist said all his money had been taken away from him by the remanded prisoners, while one of the convicted robbers had attacked him for attempting to take pictures of him.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Sale of bungalow to Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey • Full bench to decide suit against 3 ex-govt officials
Wednesday, January 27, 2010 (Page 3 Lead)
A FULL bench will be required to determine the suit against three former government functionaries who were dragged to the Supreme Court by two members of the Committee for Joint Action (CJA) for selling a government bungalow to Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, a former Minister of State.
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, who are now deputy ministers of Information and Environment, Science and Technology, respectively, in the latter part of 2008 sued the Attorney-General, the Chairman of the Lands Commission and the Chief Registrar of Lands at the Lands Title Registry for allocating the property to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey.
At the Supreme Court’s sitting in Accra yesterday, the court, presided over by Mr Justice S. A. Brobbey, informed parties in the matter that the issues raised by the applicants needed constitutional interpretation and for that reason a full bench would be required to delve into the issues.
The matter has since been adjourned sine die (indefinitely).
Other members of the panel which sat on the case yesterday were Mrs Justice Sophia Adinyira, Professor Justice S. K. Date-Bah, Mr Justice P. Baffoe-Bonnie and Mr Justice B. T. Aryeetey.
Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey was present in court.
In the writ invoking the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, the applicants are praying the court to declare that by virtue of articles 20(5), 23, 257, 258, 265, 284 and 296 of the 1992 Constitution, the Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing in the previous government did not have the power to direct the sale, disposal or transfer of any government or public land to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey or any other person or body under any circumstances whatsoever.
They are also praying the court to order that any such direction for the disposal, sale or outright transfer of the said property in dispute or any other public land to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey was illegal and unconstitutional.
The applicants are seeking a declaration that by virtue of articles 20(5), 23, 257, 258, 265, 284 and 296 of the 1992 Constitution, the government was obliged to retain and continue to use, in the public interest, the property in dispute.
They are also seeking a further declaration that the purported sale of the said government bungalow, located at St Mungo Street, Ridge, Accra, by the previous government to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey was in utter contravention of articles 20(5), 23, 257, 258, 265, 284 and 296 of the 1992 Constitution.
According to the applicants, the Supreme Court should order that the purported direction by the then Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing for the disposal, sale or outright transfer of the said property in dispute to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey smacked of cronyism, was arbitrary, capricious, discriminatory and a gross abuse of the discretionary power vested in a public officer under the 1992 Constitution.
The applicants are praying the court to declare that a publication by the Chairman of the Lands Commission and the Chief Registrar of Lands which announced that the said property had been allocated to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey was unconstitutional, void and must be struck out as such, since it was in contravention of articles 20(5), 23, 257, 258, 265, 284 and 296 of the 1992 Constitution.
Additionally, the applicants are praying for an order of perpetual injunction to restrain the Chairman of the Lands Commission and the Chief Registrar of Lands and their agents “from perfecting the registration of a parcel of land designated as Parcel No 29, Block 12, Section 019, in extent 1.04 acres more or less, as delineated on Registry Map No 003/019/1998, on which is situated Republic of Ghana Bungalow No 2, located at St Mungo Street, Ridge, Accra, in the name of Hon Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey”.
A statement of case accompanying the writ said Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey allocated onto himself the government bungalow in dispute as his duty post and resided at the said duty post at a huge cost to the state from 2001 to 2008, although he resigned from his public office some time in 2007 to pursue his presidential ambition.
It said in 2001, when Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey was the Chief of Staff at the Presidency, the head office of the Public Works Department carried out, at his behest, renovation to the tune of GH¢17,254 “through Brockwell Construction & Engineering Limited, not to mention further additional refurbishment carried out at his instance to his taste at extraordinary expense to that state”.
According to the statement of case, Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey subsequently applied to the Chairman of the Lands Commission and the Chief Registrar of Lands for a land title certificate to effectuate what it termed “the illegal and unconstitutional transaction”.
It said the Chairman of the Lands Commission and the Chief Registrar of Lands took the above steps to regularise the grant to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey a land certificate in relation to the said property to effectuate the purported sale of the said government bungalow and plot to him.
According to the statement of case, the applicants wrote to the then Attorney-General, protesting the sale of the said bungalow, but the Attorney-General replied and pointed out that the matter was a constitutional issue.
They further argued that the then Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing did not have the power to “direct the sale, disposal or transfer of any government or public land to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey or any person or body under such circumstances and that any such direction for the disposal, sale or outright transfer of the said property in dispute or any other public land to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey is illegal and unconstitutional”.
A FULL bench will be required to determine the suit against three former government functionaries who were dragged to the Supreme Court by two members of the Committee for Joint Action (CJA) for selling a government bungalow to Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, a former Minister of State.
Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, who are now deputy ministers of Information and Environment, Science and Technology, respectively, in the latter part of 2008 sued the Attorney-General, the Chairman of the Lands Commission and the Chief Registrar of Lands at the Lands Title Registry for allocating the property to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey.
At the Supreme Court’s sitting in Accra yesterday, the court, presided over by Mr Justice S. A. Brobbey, informed parties in the matter that the issues raised by the applicants needed constitutional interpretation and for that reason a full bench would be required to delve into the issues.
The matter has since been adjourned sine die (indefinitely).
Other members of the panel which sat on the case yesterday were Mrs Justice Sophia Adinyira, Professor Justice S. K. Date-Bah, Mr Justice P. Baffoe-Bonnie and Mr Justice B. T. Aryeetey.
Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey was present in court.
In the writ invoking the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, the applicants are praying the court to declare that by virtue of articles 20(5), 23, 257, 258, 265, 284 and 296 of the 1992 Constitution, the Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing in the previous government did not have the power to direct the sale, disposal or transfer of any government or public land to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey or any other person or body under any circumstances whatsoever.
They are also praying the court to order that any such direction for the disposal, sale or outright transfer of the said property in dispute or any other public land to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey was illegal and unconstitutional.
The applicants are seeking a declaration that by virtue of articles 20(5), 23, 257, 258, 265, 284 and 296 of the 1992 Constitution, the government was obliged to retain and continue to use, in the public interest, the property in dispute.
They are also seeking a further declaration that the purported sale of the said government bungalow, located at St Mungo Street, Ridge, Accra, by the previous government to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey was in utter contravention of articles 20(5), 23, 257, 258, 265, 284 and 296 of the 1992 Constitution.
According to the applicants, the Supreme Court should order that the purported direction by the then Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing for the disposal, sale or outright transfer of the said property in dispute to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey smacked of cronyism, was arbitrary, capricious, discriminatory and a gross abuse of the discretionary power vested in a public officer under the 1992 Constitution.
The applicants are praying the court to declare that a publication by the Chairman of the Lands Commission and the Chief Registrar of Lands which announced that the said property had been allocated to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey was unconstitutional, void and must be struck out as such, since it was in contravention of articles 20(5), 23, 257, 258, 265, 284 and 296 of the 1992 Constitution.
Additionally, the applicants are praying for an order of perpetual injunction to restrain the Chairman of the Lands Commission and the Chief Registrar of Lands and their agents “from perfecting the registration of a parcel of land designated as Parcel No 29, Block 12, Section 019, in extent 1.04 acres more or less, as delineated on Registry Map No 003/019/1998, on which is situated Republic of Ghana Bungalow No 2, located at St Mungo Street, Ridge, Accra, in the name of Hon Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey”.
A statement of case accompanying the writ said Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey allocated onto himself the government bungalow in dispute as his duty post and resided at the said duty post at a huge cost to the state from 2001 to 2008, although he resigned from his public office some time in 2007 to pursue his presidential ambition.
It said in 2001, when Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey was the Chief of Staff at the Presidency, the head office of the Public Works Department carried out, at his behest, renovation to the tune of GH¢17,254 “through Brockwell Construction & Engineering Limited, not to mention further additional refurbishment carried out at his instance to his taste at extraordinary expense to that state”.
According to the statement of case, Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey subsequently applied to the Chairman of the Lands Commission and the Chief Registrar of Lands for a land title certificate to effectuate what it termed “the illegal and unconstitutional transaction”.
It said the Chairman of the Lands Commission and the Chief Registrar of Lands took the above steps to regularise the grant to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey a land certificate in relation to the said property to effectuate the purported sale of the said government bungalow and plot to him.
According to the statement of case, the applicants wrote to the then Attorney-General, protesting the sale of the said bungalow, but the Attorney-General replied and pointed out that the matter was a constitutional issue.
They further argued that the then Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing did not have the power to “direct the sale, disposal or transfer of any government or public land to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey or any person or body under such circumstances and that any such direction for the disposal, sale or outright transfer of the said property in dispute or any other public land to Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey is illegal and unconstitutional”.
Teenager jailed 15 years for robbery
Wednesday, January 27, 2010 (Centre Spread)
A young man who robbed a boutique in Accra in broad daylight and indecently assaulted the salesgirl before making away with items worth GH¢2,441 was yesterday sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment with hard labour.
Naab Randy, 18, pleaded guilty to the charge of robbery but denied fondling and sucking the breasts of the salesgirl at gunpoint on December 30, 2010.
The convict, who is also a labourer, told the court that he used the pistol to scare the salesgirl but he did not intend to shoot her.
According to Randy, he needed money to further his education after he had completed junior high school.
Randy robbed the boutique, indecently assaulted the salesgirl, tied her legs and sealed her mouth with Sellotape and walked out of the boutique with his booty.
He was, however, apprehended by the public while walking leisurely by the roadside with his booty after the salesgirl had managed to crawl out of the boutique, raised an alarm and informed passers-by of her ordeal after she had been set free.
The passers-by decided to spread out and track down Randy, who was later spotted some metres away with the items he had stolen from the boutique.
The items, including jeans trousers worth GH¢1,666, T-shirts worth GH¢405, two mobile phones and cash of GH¢100, were retrieved from the convict.
Presenting the facts of the case, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr Kofi Blagodzi, told the court that the convict entered the complainant's boutique around 2.30 p.m. holding a schoolbag and asked her whether she sold men’s T-shirts.
In the process of being attended to, the convict suddenly pulled a pistol, pointed it at the complainant and warned her not to shout or he would shoot her.
He pulled her to a storeroom in the boutique, pushed her down and attempted to have sex with her.
When the complainant pleaded for mercy, the convict stopped, folded her blouse to the top and sucked her breast to his satisfaction.
After the act, Randy asked the complainant where she kept her money. The girl, who was then trembling with fear, pointed to the drawer where the money was kept.
Randy then tied the complainant's legs with Sellotape he found in the shop, sealed her mouth, ransacked the shop, ran off and left the girl to her fate.
The complainant, however, managed to crawl to the main entrance of the boutique where she was spotted by a lady. The girl was subsequently untied by the lady and other passers-by.
After she was set free, the complainant took stock of items, detected the items stolen and quickly mobilised people who trailed the convict to a distance where he was arrested.
A search on him revealed all the stolen items, a pistol and two cartridges.
A young man who robbed a boutique in Accra in broad daylight and indecently assaulted the salesgirl before making away with items worth GH¢2,441 was yesterday sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment with hard labour.
Naab Randy, 18, pleaded guilty to the charge of robbery but denied fondling and sucking the breasts of the salesgirl at gunpoint on December 30, 2010.
The convict, who is also a labourer, told the court that he used the pistol to scare the salesgirl but he did not intend to shoot her.
According to Randy, he needed money to further his education after he had completed junior high school.
Randy robbed the boutique, indecently assaulted the salesgirl, tied her legs and sealed her mouth with Sellotape and walked out of the boutique with his booty.
He was, however, apprehended by the public while walking leisurely by the roadside with his booty after the salesgirl had managed to crawl out of the boutique, raised an alarm and informed passers-by of her ordeal after she had been set free.
The passers-by decided to spread out and track down Randy, who was later spotted some metres away with the items he had stolen from the boutique.
The items, including jeans trousers worth GH¢1,666, T-shirts worth GH¢405, two mobile phones and cash of GH¢100, were retrieved from the convict.
Presenting the facts of the case, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr Kofi Blagodzi, told the court that the convict entered the complainant's boutique around 2.30 p.m. holding a schoolbag and asked her whether she sold men’s T-shirts.
In the process of being attended to, the convict suddenly pulled a pistol, pointed it at the complainant and warned her not to shout or he would shoot her.
He pulled her to a storeroom in the boutique, pushed her down and attempted to have sex with her.
When the complainant pleaded for mercy, the convict stopped, folded her blouse to the top and sucked her breast to his satisfaction.
After the act, Randy asked the complainant where she kept her money. The girl, who was then trembling with fear, pointed to the drawer where the money was kept.
Randy then tied the complainant's legs with Sellotape he found in the shop, sealed her mouth, ransacked the shop, ran off and left the girl to her fate.
The complainant, however, managed to crawl to the main entrance of the boutique where she was spotted by a lady. The girl was subsequently untied by the lady and other passers-by.
After she was set free, the complainant took stock of items, detected the items stolen and quickly mobilised people who trailed the convict to a distance where he was arrested.
A search on him revealed all the stolen items, a pistol and two cartridges.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Bullet which killed Frimpong recovered
Saturday, January 23, 2010 (Page 3 Lead)
THE bullet which ended the life of the former Deputy Managing Director of the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), Mr Rokko Frimpong, has been recovered.
The prosecutor in the case involving five soldiers who were alleged to have murdered Mr Frimpong yesterday told the Osu District Magistrate Court that the bullet had been forwarded to the Police Forensic Laboratory for examination.
Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mr Patrick A. Morkeh, however, did not give details about how, when and where the bullet was recovered.
The soldiers — Sergeants Michael Arthur, Richard Somuah and Lamptey Haizel and Corporals Charles Ankumah and Emmanuel Antwi — have been accused of murdering Mr Frimpong, who was deeply involved in the re-denomination exercise three years ago.
They have, accordingly, been charged with two counts of conspiracy and murder but their pleas have not been taken.
Responding to the prosecutor’s submission, counsel for the soldiers, Mr Joe Aboagye Debrah, did not take kindly to what he termed “the prosecution stories”.
He said the prosecution had put the defence team in a “legal limbo” because it had not taken the pleas of the soldiers to enable the defence to apply for bail.
Counsel stated, for instance, that the prosecution filed neither the bill of indictment nor the summary of evidence and stressed that “the prosecution only comes to court with stories”.
Mr Debrah argued that it was public knowledge that a docket on the same matter and involving different persons was currently in the Attorney-General’s office.
He described the accused persons as “fine soldiers” who had served their country well, pointing out that it was, therefore, unfortunate that they had been treated in such an unfair manner.
He said parties in the matter had a responsibility to ensure that the accused persons had an expeditious and fair trial.
Counsel, therefore, prayed the court to compel the prosecution to define the case properly, as well as ensure a speedy trial.
The court, presided over by Mr Emmanuel Bart Brew Plange, directed the prosecution to furnish the court with the bill of indictment, the summary of evidence and the results of the forensic laboratory examination.
He, accordingly, remanded the accused persons to reappear on February 4, 2010.
Family members of the soldiers wept uncontrollably when the soldiers were escorted out of the courtroom by security personnel.
The facts of the case, as presented by the prosecution, are that the soldiers were instructed by a superior officer to kill Mr Frimpong, who was said to have uncovered some fraudulent deals in the re-denomination exercise which incriminated some former top government officials.
According to the prosecution, the five were recruited by their superior officer (name not provided in court) at the 64 Infantry Battalion to eliminate Mr Frimpong, who was said to have uncovered the rot involving some former top-ranking government officials.
Reacting to the prosecution’s assertions, counsel for the soldiers maintained that his clients were innocent, adding that he would prove the innocence of the accused in due course.
The soldiers were picked up barely 72 hours after the Human Rights Court, presided over by Ms Charity Irene Danquah, had, on December 15, 2009, ordered their immediate release from the custody of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI).
The court ordered the release of the five after defence lawyers had argued that their clients’ continued detention was a flagrant abuse of their human rights, as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution, especially when the BNI failed to give a tangible reason for their continued detention.
THE bullet which ended the life of the former Deputy Managing Director of the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), Mr Rokko Frimpong, has been recovered.
The prosecutor in the case involving five soldiers who were alleged to have murdered Mr Frimpong yesterday told the Osu District Magistrate Court that the bullet had been forwarded to the Police Forensic Laboratory for examination.
Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mr Patrick A. Morkeh, however, did not give details about how, when and where the bullet was recovered.
The soldiers — Sergeants Michael Arthur, Richard Somuah and Lamptey Haizel and Corporals Charles Ankumah and Emmanuel Antwi — have been accused of murdering Mr Frimpong, who was deeply involved in the re-denomination exercise three years ago.
They have, accordingly, been charged with two counts of conspiracy and murder but their pleas have not been taken.
Responding to the prosecutor’s submission, counsel for the soldiers, Mr Joe Aboagye Debrah, did not take kindly to what he termed “the prosecution stories”.
He said the prosecution had put the defence team in a “legal limbo” because it had not taken the pleas of the soldiers to enable the defence to apply for bail.
Counsel stated, for instance, that the prosecution filed neither the bill of indictment nor the summary of evidence and stressed that “the prosecution only comes to court with stories”.
Mr Debrah argued that it was public knowledge that a docket on the same matter and involving different persons was currently in the Attorney-General’s office.
He described the accused persons as “fine soldiers” who had served their country well, pointing out that it was, therefore, unfortunate that they had been treated in such an unfair manner.
He said parties in the matter had a responsibility to ensure that the accused persons had an expeditious and fair trial.
Counsel, therefore, prayed the court to compel the prosecution to define the case properly, as well as ensure a speedy trial.
The court, presided over by Mr Emmanuel Bart Brew Plange, directed the prosecution to furnish the court with the bill of indictment, the summary of evidence and the results of the forensic laboratory examination.
He, accordingly, remanded the accused persons to reappear on February 4, 2010.
Family members of the soldiers wept uncontrollably when the soldiers were escorted out of the courtroom by security personnel.
The facts of the case, as presented by the prosecution, are that the soldiers were instructed by a superior officer to kill Mr Frimpong, who was said to have uncovered some fraudulent deals in the re-denomination exercise which incriminated some former top government officials.
According to the prosecution, the five were recruited by their superior officer (name not provided in court) at the 64 Infantry Battalion to eliminate Mr Frimpong, who was said to have uncovered the rot involving some former top-ranking government officials.
Reacting to the prosecution’s assertions, counsel for the soldiers maintained that his clients were innocent, adding that he would prove the innocence of the accused in due course.
The soldiers were picked up barely 72 hours after the Human Rights Court, presided over by Ms Charity Irene Danquah, had, on December 15, 2009, ordered their immediate release from the custody of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI).
The court ordered the release of the five after defence lawyers had argued that their clients’ continued detention was a flagrant abuse of their human rights, as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution, especially when the BNI failed to give a tangible reason for their continued detention.
Mobilla killers appeal against ruling
January 22, 2010 (Page 3 Lead)
THE two soldiers accused of murdering the Northern Regional Chairman of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Alhaji Issa Mobilla, have appealed against the Fast Track High Court’s refusal to allow them to have access to the full list of the potential jurors who will be selected to decide their fate.
Corporal Yaw Appiah and Private Eric Modzaka have also filed a motion for stay of proceedings in the criminal trial instituted against them by the State.
The Accra Fast Track High Court had, on December 17, 2009, refused a request by the two soldiers to have access to the full list of jurors on the grounds that their request, if granted, had the potential of influencing or intimidating the potential jurors.
The court also reminded the accused persons that they had the right to challenge the jurors after they had been empanelled and were about to be sworn in.
At the court’s sitting in Accra yesterday, counsel for the soldiers, Mr Thaddeus Sory, told the court that the fundamental human rights of the accused persons would be negatively affected if the jurors were selected and empanelled before the Court of Appeal sat on his clients’ appeal.
He, therefore, prayed the court to adjourn the matter to enable his clients to pursue the appeal, but the court indicated that it did not have a copy of the motion for stay of proceedings, to which counsel furnished the court with a copy.
Responding to defence counsel’s submissions, a Chief State Attorney, Mr Edward Agyemang-Duodu, indicated that his outfit had received copies of the motions but stated that no date had been fixed for hearing, adding that such a situation could delay the criminal case against the soldiers.
The court, presided over by Mr Justice Senyo Dzamefe, stood the case down for a few minutes to enable Mr Sory to get a date from the registrar of the Court of Appeal.
Mr Sory returned in less than 30 minutes and informed the court that the Court of Appeal would be sitting between February 1 and 3, 2010.
Mr Justice Dzamefe, therefore, adjourned hearing the substantive matter to February 8, 2010.
The court is yet to give its ruling on whether or not to grant the State’s request for jurors in the case to be confined throughout the trial.
The accused persons, who were accompanied by military police officers to and out of the courtroom, are alleged to have acted with Private Seth Goka, who is currently on the run, to murder Alhaji Mobilla.
The facts of the case are that Alhaji Mobilla was arrested by the police on December 9, 2004 for allegedly supplying the youth in Tamale with guns to foment trouble.
While he was in custody, the police received information that his followers and sympathisers were mobilising to free him. The deceased was consequently transferred from police cells to the Kamina Military Barracks and handed over to the three accused persons.
According to the prosecution, Alhaji Mobilla died three hours after he had been handed over to the accused persons who were on duty that day.
The chief pathologist’s report revealed that the deceased had been sent to the hospital dead and that he had died from multiple wounds.
THE two soldiers accused of murdering the Northern Regional Chairman of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Alhaji Issa Mobilla, have appealed against the Fast Track High Court’s refusal to allow them to have access to the full list of the potential jurors who will be selected to decide their fate.
Corporal Yaw Appiah and Private Eric Modzaka have also filed a motion for stay of proceedings in the criminal trial instituted against them by the State.
The Accra Fast Track High Court had, on December 17, 2009, refused a request by the two soldiers to have access to the full list of jurors on the grounds that their request, if granted, had the potential of influencing or intimidating the potential jurors.
The court also reminded the accused persons that they had the right to challenge the jurors after they had been empanelled and were about to be sworn in.
At the court’s sitting in Accra yesterday, counsel for the soldiers, Mr Thaddeus Sory, told the court that the fundamental human rights of the accused persons would be negatively affected if the jurors were selected and empanelled before the Court of Appeal sat on his clients’ appeal.
He, therefore, prayed the court to adjourn the matter to enable his clients to pursue the appeal, but the court indicated that it did not have a copy of the motion for stay of proceedings, to which counsel furnished the court with a copy.
Responding to defence counsel’s submissions, a Chief State Attorney, Mr Edward Agyemang-Duodu, indicated that his outfit had received copies of the motions but stated that no date had been fixed for hearing, adding that such a situation could delay the criminal case against the soldiers.
The court, presided over by Mr Justice Senyo Dzamefe, stood the case down for a few minutes to enable Mr Sory to get a date from the registrar of the Court of Appeal.
Mr Sory returned in less than 30 minutes and informed the court that the Court of Appeal would be sitting between February 1 and 3, 2010.
Mr Justice Dzamefe, therefore, adjourned hearing the substantive matter to February 8, 2010.
The court is yet to give its ruling on whether or not to grant the State’s request for jurors in the case to be confined throughout the trial.
The accused persons, who were accompanied by military police officers to and out of the courtroom, are alleged to have acted with Private Seth Goka, who is currently on the run, to murder Alhaji Mobilla.
The facts of the case are that Alhaji Mobilla was arrested by the police on December 9, 2004 for allegedly supplying the youth in Tamale with guns to foment trouble.
While he was in custody, the police received information that his followers and sympathisers were mobilising to free him. The deceased was consequently transferred from police cells to the Kamina Military Barracks and handed over to the three accused persons.
According to the prosecution, Alhaji Mobilla died three hours after he had been handed over to the accused persons who were on duty that day.
The chief pathologist’s report revealed that the deceased had been sent to the hospital dead and that he had died from multiple wounds.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
German jailed for cocaine possession
Thursday, January 21, 2010 (Page 3)
THE Greater Accra Regional Tribunal yesterday sentenced a 49-year-old German to 14 years’ imprisonment with hard labour for possessing 7.078 kilogrammes of cocaine.
Heyne Frank, a marketing officer based in Nairobi, Kenya, was arrested at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) on December 10, 2006 when he arrived at the airport to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Kenya.
He was convicted on two counts of attempted exportation of narcotic drugs without lawful authority and possession of narcotic drugs.
The sentences are to run concurrently.
Heyne had claimed he could not speak English and insisted on getting a German interpreter, for which reason the trial began in November 2007, instead of February 28, 2007.
His insistence on an interpreter resulted in the Judicial Service soliciting the services of an interpreter but the convict shocked the court on September 29, 2009 when he decided to speak English to enable the interpreter to travel outside the country.
The tribunal, presided over by Mr Justice Frank Manu, held that the prosecution had led enough evidence to warrant Heyne’s conviction.
After the court had summed up and convicted Heyne on all the counts, his counsel pleaded for leniency and urged the court to take into account the fact that the convict had been in custody for four years.
The facts of the case were that while the convict was undergoing departure formalities at the KIA, a sample trap was used to swipe his palm and then inserted in an itemiser machine.
The results proved that his hand had been contaminated with cocaine, resulting in his body being searched, but nothing was found.
Security officials then searched his travelling bag in his presence and, in the process, a quantity of a substance suspected to be cocaine was found concealed in it.
The substance was field-tested in his presence and it tested positive for cocaine.
It was then forwarded to the Ghana Standards Board (GSB) for analytical examination and a report issued proved that the substance was cocaine.
THE Greater Accra Regional Tribunal yesterday sentenced a 49-year-old German to 14 years’ imprisonment with hard labour for possessing 7.078 kilogrammes of cocaine.
Heyne Frank, a marketing officer based in Nairobi, Kenya, was arrested at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) on December 10, 2006 when he arrived at the airport to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Kenya.
He was convicted on two counts of attempted exportation of narcotic drugs without lawful authority and possession of narcotic drugs.
The sentences are to run concurrently.
Heyne had claimed he could not speak English and insisted on getting a German interpreter, for which reason the trial began in November 2007, instead of February 28, 2007.
His insistence on an interpreter resulted in the Judicial Service soliciting the services of an interpreter but the convict shocked the court on September 29, 2009 when he decided to speak English to enable the interpreter to travel outside the country.
The tribunal, presided over by Mr Justice Frank Manu, held that the prosecution had led enough evidence to warrant Heyne’s conviction.
After the court had summed up and convicted Heyne on all the counts, his counsel pleaded for leniency and urged the court to take into account the fact that the convict had been in custody for four years.
The facts of the case were that while the convict was undergoing departure formalities at the KIA, a sample trap was used to swipe his palm and then inserted in an itemiser machine.
The results proved that his hand had been contaminated with cocaine, resulting in his body being searched, but nothing was found.
Security officials then searched his travelling bag in his presence and, in the process, a quantity of a substance suspected to be cocaine was found concealed in it.
The substance was field-tested in his presence and it tested positive for cocaine.
It was then forwarded to the Ghana Standards Board (GSB) for analytical examination and a report issued proved that the substance was cocaine.
EXOPA Boss makes another appearance • In court
Wednesday, January 20, 2010 (Page 3 Lead)
AN officer of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), Mr Anthony Smith, yesterday told the Accra Fast High Court that seven other officers were present when substances found in three tubers of yam belonging to the Chief Executive of Exopa Modelling Agency, Ibrahim Sima, tested positive for cocaine.
Mr Smith was testifying in the trial of Sima, who is alleged to have attempted to export substances believed to be narcotic drugs to Germany on September 7, 2009.
Sima, 39, was arrested at the Kotoka International Airport about 11 p.m. while he was going through departure formalities. He is currently on remand in police custody.
He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of possessing narcotic drugs and attempting to export narcotic drugs without lawful authority.
Led by the prosecutor in his evidence-in-chief, Mr Smith told the court, presided over by Mr Justice Charles Quist, that narcotic officers searched Sima’s travelling bags after he (Sima) had identified the bags as his own and had also stated that he had packed the bags himself.
According to the witness, Sima claimed ownership of the four tubers of yam which were found in his bag. During a careful scrutiny, it was observed that three of the yams had been cut open and re-sealed.
Mr Smith said he questioned Sima why the yam had been cut and re-sealed but Sima could not offer any explanation.
The witness informed the court that he used a knife to cut open the yam and it was then that he discovered the drugs which had been sealed in blue polythene bags.
He stated that he asked Sima why he had done that, to which Sima said he was hard pressed for money and was in debt.
He said Sima also told him that one Salifu at Nima had given him the drugs.
According to the witness, he and his colleagues accompanied Sima to his residence in Tema around 2 a.m. and a further search revealed varieties of yam similar to those which had been found on him at the airport and the glue which was used to re-seal the yams.
Mr Smith said he was in charge of the narcotics team which had been detailed at the airport on September 7, 2009, noting that on that fateful day the team had decided to target frequent travellers.
He said when Sima was questioned why he frequented Germany, he told the team that he had an agency in that country and that accounted for his frequent trips there.
During cross-examination from counsel for Sima, Mr James Agalga, the witness told the court that Sima had been spotted at the Departure Hall of the Kotoka International Airport on the day of his arrest.
Counsel is expected to continue cross-examining the witness on February 1, 2010.
AN officer of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), Mr Anthony Smith, yesterday told the Accra Fast High Court that seven other officers were present when substances found in three tubers of yam belonging to the Chief Executive of Exopa Modelling Agency, Ibrahim Sima, tested positive for cocaine.
Mr Smith was testifying in the trial of Sima, who is alleged to have attempted to export substances believed to be narcotic drugs to Germany on September 7, 2009.
Sima, 39, was arrested at the Kotoka International Airport about 11 p.m. while he was going through departure formalities. He is currently on remand in police custody.
He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of possessing narcotic drugs and attempting to export narcotic drugs without lawful authority.
Led by the prosecutor in his evidence-in-chief, Mr Smith told the court, presided over by Mr Justice Charles Quist, that narcotic officers searched Sima’s travelling bags after he (Sima) had identified the bags as his own and had also stated that he had packed the bags himself.
According to the witness, Sima claimed ownership of the four tubers of yam which were found in his bag. During a careful scrutiny, it was observed that three of the yams had been cut open and re-sealed.
Mr Smith said he questioned Sima why the yam had been cut and re-sealed but Sima could not offer any explanation.
The witness informed the court that he used a knife to cut open the yam and it was then that he discovered the drugs which had been sealed in blue polythene bags.
He stated that he asked Sima why he had done that, to which Sima said he was hard pressed for money and was in debt.
He said Sima also told him that one Salifu at Nima had given him the drugs.
According to the witness, he and his colleagues accompanied Sima to his residence in Tema around 2 a.m. and a further search revealed varieties of yam similar to those which had been found on him at the airport and the glue which was used to re-seal the yams.
Mr Smith said he was in charge of the narcotics team which had been detailed at the airport on September 7, 2009, noting that on that fateful day the team had decided to target frequent travellers.
He said when Sima was questioned why he frequented Germany, he told the team that he had an agency in that country and that accounted for his frequent trips there.
During cross-examination from counsel for Sima, Mr James Agalga, the witness told the court that Sima had been spotted at the Departure Hall of the Kotoka International Airport on the day of his arrest.
Counsel is expected to continue cross-examining the witness on February 1, 2010.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Three robbers jailed 51 years
Tuesday, January 19, 2010 (Page 31)
THREE of the four robbers who confessed to have committed a series of robberies leading to the death of a pastor of the Lighthouse Chapel International, Rev Peter Nii Addy, have been sentenced to a total of 51 years imprisonment with hard labour.
Kofi Yeboah, 30, Ebo Kwabena, 30, and Osei Prempeh, 23, were sentenced to 17 years on each count of conspiracy and robbery.
The court, presided over by Mr C. A. Wilson, sentenced the three on each count after they had pleaded guilty to the charges.
Prempeh pleaded guilty to an additional charge of rape and was sentenced to 17 years imprisonment. Their sentences are to run concurrently.
A fourth accused person, Yaw Asamoah, 30, who had on January 13, 2010 confessed to have committed several robberies in Accra, however, pleaded not guilty to new charges.
The court fixed February 4, 2010 as the date for hearing the robbery charges levelled against Asamoah.
Prosecuting, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr Kofi Blagodzi, told the court that on December 30, 2009, the four, armed with pump action guns and machetes, stormed two houses at Gbawe Bulemin, a suburb of Accra, at dawn and made away with seven cellular phones, three DVD players and GH¢360.
Not satisfied with the booty, Prempeh entered the room of the victim (name withheld) in one of the robbed houses and brutally raped her.
On hearing of the incident, the police moved to the scene and observed that the convicts had operated in other neighbourhoods.
During investigations, the police managed to retrieve some of the items the convicts had stolen, arrested the sellers of those items and the sellers in turn assisted the police to effect the arrest of the four.
On January 13, 2010, Yeboah, Kwabena, Prempeh and Asamoah pleaded for forgiveness from God, Ghanaians, their victims and the family of the deceased pastor.
Reverend Addy, 26, who was the pastor in charge of the Enchi branch of the Lighthouse Chapel, was in Accra with his wife, who was six months pregnant, to attend the wedding of a colleague pastor and was due to return to his base in the Western Region on December 30, 2009 but met his brutal death at the hands of the robbers.
They were charged with seven counts of conspiracy, causing unlawful harm and robbery but they ended up confessing to murder in the court, presided over by Mrs Patience Mills-Tetteh.
The accused persons told the court that they did not want to waste the court’s time with a long trial and, accordingly, pleaded with the court to punish them severely.
Mrs Mills-Tetteh remanded them in prison custody to re-appear on January 21, 2010.
The four committed the offence in November and December 2009 and succeeded in robbing several houses in Accra, assaulted their occupants and made away with valuable items and cash.
The four, whose pleas were not taken, are also before another circuit court charged with the murder of Rev Addy.
THREE of the four robbers who confessed to have committed a series of robberies leading to the death of a pastor of the Lighthouse Chapel International, Rev Peter Nii Addy, have been sentenced to a total of 51 years imprisonment with hard labour.
Kofi Yeboah, 30, Ebo Kwabena, 30, and Osei Prempeh, 23, were sentenced to 17 years on each count of conspiracy and robbery.
The court, presided over by Mr C. A. Wilson, sentenced the three on each count after they had pleaded guilty to the charges.
Prempeh pleaded guilty to an additional charge of rape and was sentenced to 17 years imprisonment. Their sentences are to run concurrently.
A fourth accused person, Yaw Asamoah, 30, who had on January 13, 2010 confessed to have committed several robberies in Accra, however, pleaded not guilty to new charges.
The court fixed February 4, 2010 as the date for hearing the robbery charges levelled against Asamoah.
Prosecuting, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr Kofi Blagodzi, told the court that on December 30, 2009, the four, armed with pump action guns and machetes, stormed two houses at Gbawe Bulemin, a suburb of Accra, at dawn and made away with seven cellular phones, three DVD players and GH¢360.
Not satisfied with the booty, Prempeh entered the room of the victim (name withheld) in one of the robbed houses and brutally raped her.
On hearing of the incident, the police moved to the scene and observed that the convicts had operated in other neighbourhoods.
During investigations, the police managed to retrieve some of the items the convicts had stolen, arrested the sellers of those items and the sellers in turn assisted the police to effect the arrest of the four.
On January 13, 2010, Yeboah, Kwabena, Prempeh and Asamoah pleaded for forgiveness from God, Ghanaians, their victims and the family of the deceased pastor.
Reverend Addy, 26, who was the pastor in charge of the Enchi branch of the Lighthouse Chapel, was in Accra with his wife, who was six months pregnant, to attend the wedding of a colleague pastor and was due to return to his base in the Western Region on December 30, 2009 but met his brutal death at the hands of the robbers.
They were charged with seven counts of conspiracy, causing unlawful harm and robbery but they ended up confessing to murder in the court, presided over by Mrs Patience Mills-Tetteh.
The accused persons told the court that they did not want to waste the court’s time with a long trial and, accordingly, pleaded with the court to punish them severely.
Mrs Mills-Tetteh remanded them in prison custody to re-appear on January 21, 2010.
The four committed the offence in November and December 2009 and succeeded in robbing several houses in Accra, assaulted their occupants and made away with valuable items and cash.
The four, whose pleas were not taken, are also before another circuit court charged with the murder of Rev Addy.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Trial of two lawyers starts January 27
Saturday, January 16, 2010 (Page 15)
THE trial of two lawyers who have been accused of forgery and defrauding by false pretence has been scheduled to start on January 27, 2010.
The date was fixed after the Accra Circuit Court gave reasons for refusing an application to stay proceedings in the matter.
The lawyers, Joseph Kwame Owusu Asamani and Ekow Amua-Sekyi, are alleged to have forged a High Court judgement to deprive the complainant, Mr Samuel Etroo, who was once a client of Amua-Sekyi’s, of his mining concession.
Counsel for the two had filed an application for stay of proceedings in the trial on the grounds that cases between parties in the case were pending in different high courts and for that reason it would be prudent for the court to stay proceedings until those matters were determined.
However, the court, presided over by Mrs Justice Adwoa Bartels, dismissed the application on the grounds that parties in the cited cases were different from the parties in her court.
Giving reasons for her decision, the trial judge stated that she had carefully studied the Criminal Procedure Code and other authorities and nowhere was it stated that criminal actions must be stayed for civil actions to proceed.
She said what the applicants sought the court to do was alien to the country's criminal jurisprudence.
According to the court, it was only the Attorney-General who had power to discontinue criminal matters against accused persons and for that reason the court deemed it fit to refuse the application for stay of proceedings.
The two lawyers were arraigned before the court on December 18, 2009 and were granted bail in the sum of GH¢80,000 with two sureties each to be justified.
They pleaded not guilty to eight counts of conspiracy, forgery of judicial document and uttering forged document.
The two were arraigned at a time the Human Rights Division of the High Court had set January 22, 2010 to determine whether or not Mr Justice D.E.K. Daketsey, a circuit court judge, could continue sitting on the case against the two lawyers.
The lawyers had sought an interlocutory order restraining the circuit court judge from hearing the case until the final determination of the application currently before the Human Rights Court on the grounds that the judge was biased against them.
However, the Chief Justice assigned Mrs Cudjoe to the case, resulting in the arraignment of the two lawyers on December 18, 2009.
In the substantive matter, the two are alleged to have forged the judgement of a High Court judge, Mr Justice Ofori-Atta, compelling Mr Howard Eric Ewen, the Managing Director of Keegan Resources, to issue a cheque for $850,000 to Asamani.
When Asamani received the money, Amua-Sekyi signed as witness, prompting the complainant in the case, Mr Etroo, to lodge a complaint with the police.
THE trial of two lawyers who have been accused of forgery and defrauding by false pretence has been scheduled to start on January 27, 2010.
The date was fixed after the Accra Circuit Court gave reasons for refusing an application to stay proceedings in the matter.
The lawyers, Joseph Kwame Owusu Asamani and Ekow Amua-Sekyi, are alleged to have forged a High Court judgement to deprive the complainant, Mr Samuel Etroo, who was once a client of Amua-Sekyi’s, of his mining concession.
Counsel for the two had filed an application for stay of proceedings in the trial on the grounds that cases between parties in the case were pending in different high courts and for that reason it would be prudent for the court to stay proceedings until those matters were determined.
However, the court, presided over by Mrs Justice Adwoa Bartels, dismissed the application on the grounds that parties in the cited cases were different from the parties in her court.
Giving reasons for her decision, the trial judge stated that she had carefully studied the Criminal Procedure Code and other authorities and nowhere was it stated that criminal actions must be stayed for civil actions to proceed.
She said what the applicants sought the court to do was alien to the country's criminal jurisprudence.
According to the court, it was only the Attorney-General who had power to discontinue criminal matters against accused persons and for that reason the court deemed it fit to refuse the application for stay of proceedings.
The two lawyers were arraigned before the court on December 18, 2009 and were granted bail in the sum of GH¢80,000 with two sureties each to be justified.
They pleaded not guilty to eight counts of conspiracy, forgery of judicial document and uttering forged document.
The two were arraigned at a time the Human Rights Division of the High Court had set January 22, 2010 to determine whether or not Mr Justice D.E.K. Daketsey, a circuit court judge, could continue sitting on the case against the two lawyers.
The lawyers had sought an interlocutory order restraining the circuit court judge from hearing the case until the final determination of the application currently before the Human Rights Court on the grounds that the judge was biased against them.
However, the Chief Justice assigned Mrs Cudjoe to the case, resulting in the arraignment of the two lawyers on December 18, 2009.
In the substantive matter, the two are alleged to have forged the judgement of a High Court judge, Mr Justice Ofori-Atta, compelling Mr Howard Eric Ewen, the Managing Director of Keegan Resources, to issue a cheque for $850,000 to Asamani.
When Asamani received the money, Amua-Sekyi signed as witness, prompting the complainant in the case, Mr Etroo, to lodge a complaint with the police.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Pastor's killers confess in court
Friday, January 15, 2010 (Page 3 Lead)
FOUR alleged robbers yesterday stunned the Accra Circuit Court when they confessed to have committed a series of robberies leading to the death of a pastor of the Lighthouse Chapel International, Rev Peter Nii Addy.
Reverend Addy, 26, who was the pastor in charge of the Enchi branch of the Lighthouse Chapel, was in Accra with his wife, who was six months pregnant, to attend the wedding of a colleague pastor and was due to return to his base in the Western Region on December 30, 2009 but met his brutal death at the hands of the robbers.
The accused persons — Yaw Asamoah, 30; Kofi Yeboah, 30; Ebo Kwabena, 30, and Osei Prempeh, 23 — pleaded for forgiveness from God, Ghanaians, their victims and the family of the deceased pastor.
The four, whose pleas have not been taken, are also before another circuit court charged with the murder of Rev. Addy.
The four were charged with seven counts of conspiracy, causing unlawful harm and robbery but they ended up confessing to committing murder.
The court, presided over by Mrs Patience Mills-Tetteh, remanded them in prison custody to re-appear on January 21, 2010.
The accused persons told the court that they did not want to waste its time with a long trial.
In November and December 2009, the accused robbed several households in Accra, assaulted occupants and made away with valuable items and cash.
They, accordingly, pleaded with the court to punish them severely.
According to them, they did not deserve to live because they had caused so much havoc on the victims and their family members and for that reason they were ready to face any form of punishment the court might deem fit.
The confessions began when the prosecutor in the case, Inspector Anthony Afetsi, read out the charges preferred against the accused persons and the facts accompanying those charges.
Inspector Afetsi had barely sat down when Yeboah raised his hand and informed the court that he had something to say.
The court allowed him to speak and, to everyone's surprise, he launched into confession and admitted committing robbery with the others.
The other accused persons followed suit with similar confessions.
The facts of the case accompanying the three separate charge sheets preferred against the accused persons indicated that they broke into the home of a banker around 5 a.m. on November 30, 2009 and took away the banker's pump action gun, a box full of cartridges, a car key, cellular phones, a laptop and GH¢70.
According to the prosecution, the four on a later date proceeded to a house at Gbawe, attacked the inhabitants and eventually killed Rev Addy with the pump action gun they had forcibly taken from the banker's home and bolted.
The four were also said to have forcibly entered the house of an auto mechanic, held his family hostage and robbed them of four cellular phones, a machine detector and GH¢160 and subjected the inhabitants of the house to severe beatings.
In the third case, the four were said to have attacked a house at Donkuna, a suburb of Accra, and robbed the household of five cellular phones and GH¢1,700 cash and shot a young man in the leg.
The four were arrested upon a tip-off on January 6, 2010 when they were preparing to embark on another operation.
FOUR alleged robbers yesterday stunned the Accra Circuit Court when they confessed to have committed a series of robberies leading to the death of a pastor of the Lighthouse Chapel International, Rev Peter Nii Addy.
Reverend Addy, 26, who was the pastor in charge of the Enchi branch of the Lighthouse Chapel, was in Accra with his wife, who was six months pregnant, to attend the wedding of a colleague pastor and was due to return to his base in the Western Region on December 30, 2009 but met his brutal death at the hands of the robbers.
The accused persons — Yaw Asamoah, 30; Kofi Yeboah, 30; Ebo Kwabena, 30, and Osei Prempeh, 23 — pleaded for forgiveness from God, Ghanaians, their victims and the family of the deceased pastor.
The four, whose pleas have not been taken, are also before another circuit court charged with the murder of Rev. Addy.
The four were charged with seven counts of conspiracy, causing unlawful harm and robbery but they ended up confessing to committing murder.
The court, presided over by Mrs Patience Mills-Tetteh, remanded them in prison custody to re-appear on January 21, 2010.
The accused persons told the court that they did not want to waste its time with a long trial.
In November and December 2009, the accused robbed several households in Accra, assaulted occupants and made away with valuable items and cash.
They, accordingly, pleaded with the court to punish them severely.
According to them, they did not deserve to live because they had caused so much havoc on the victims and their family members and for that reason they were ready to face any form of punishment the court might deem fit.
The confessions began when the prosecutor in the case, Inspector Anthony Afetsi, read out the charges preferred against the accused persons and the facts accompanying those charges.
Inspector Afetsi had barely sat down when Yeboah raised his hand and informed the court that he had something to say.
The court allowed him to speak and, to everyone's surprise, he launched into confession and admitted committing robbery with the others.
The other accused persons followed suit with similar confessions.
The facts of the case accompanying the three separate charge sheets preferred against the accused persons indicated that they broke into the home of a banker around 5 a.m. on November 30, 2009 and took away the banker's pump action gun, a box full of cartridges, a car key, cellular phones, a laptop and GH¢70.
According to the prosecution, the four on a later date proceeded to a house at Gbawe, attacked the inhabitants and eventually killed Rev Addy with the pump action gun they had forcibly taken from the banker's home and bolted.
The four were also said to have forcibly entered the house of an auto mechanic, held his family hostage and robbed them of four cellular phones, a machine detector and GH¢160 and subjected the inhabitants of the house to severe beatings.
In the third case, the four were said to have attacked a house at Donkuna, a suburb of Accra, and robbed the household of five cellular phones and GH¢1,700 cash and shot a young man in the leg.
The four were arrested upon a tip-off on January 6, 2010 when they were preparing to embark on another operation.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Oil To Benefit Ghanaians • A-G scrutinises Draft Bill
Thursday, January 14, 2010 (Lead Story)
THE government has drafted a Petroleum Bill which seeks to ensure that Ghanaians derive maximum benefit from the country’s oil and gas resources.
The bill also contains a framework to achieve local content and 90 per cent local participation in petroleum activities in the country by the year 2020.
Currently being scrutinised by the Attorney-General’s office, the bill underlines measures which enjoin operators in the oil industry to conform to the country’s laws, as well as operate within environmentally accepted limits, among others.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Minister of Energy, Dr Joe Oteng-Adjei, said under the bill, a Petroleum Regulatory Agency was expected to be established to oversee and monitor the activities of industry players as part of the government’s policy to ensure that Ghanaians derived maximum benefit from the oil find.
He explained that although the past New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration developed a policy which merged PNDC Law 84 and the Regulatory Framework, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had decided to separate the two to make it simpler, clearer and more transparent for oil companies to access and make decisions.
The minister said local content and participation referred to the level of use of Ghanaian expertise, goods and services, people, businesses and financing in oil and gas activities.
He said a key development objective of the government was to grow the economy to rapidly achieve accelerated development and industrialisation, adding that the oil and gas industry was known to contribute significantly to the strong economic growth of countries that produced the two commodities.
“It is anticipated that the development of the oil and gas industry will be a source of accelerated growth, poverty reduction and general prosperity for the people of Ghana. The active involvement of Ghanaians in oil and gas development through local content and participation has become a major policy issue of the NDC government,” Dr Oteng-Adjei pointed out.
Consequently, the minister stated that the government would seek to provide the enabling environment and opportunities for Ghanaians to benefit from the economic wealth that emanated from the activities in the oil and gas industry through the participation of Ghanaians in the ownership, operation, control and management of the sector.
Dr Oteng-Adjei explained that his office would submit the draft bill to Cabinet for study and subsequently to Parliament for approval, while broad consultation with relevant stakeholders was currently ongoing on the framework on local content and local participation.
“We are acting as quickly as possible to ensure that all these structures are put in place before oil production begins in the last quarter of the year,” the minister said.
He gave the assurance the relevant bodies in the country, including the political parties, were being given the opportunity to study and make inputs into the local content framework.
He said other legal bodies were also looking at the bill to make the necessary recommendations.
He, therefore, debunked claims that the government had not put in place any legal structures to cater for the country’s oil industry.
Throwing more light on the local content policy, a Deputy Minister of Energy, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, said PNDC Law 84 only tackled issues on exploration and it was, therefore, imperative for the government to come up with more pragmatic measures to regulate the petroleum industry in a more effective manner now that oil had been discovered in commercial quantities.
In order to give effect to the implementation of the local content and local participation policy, these policy directions would be legislated by regulations and other such legal instruments, Mr Buah explained.
“A dedicated Petroleum Regulatory Agency, with the assistance of independent national local content committees, will be mandated to oversee and ensure the full implementation of the local content and local participation policy,” he explained.
According to Mr Buah, an Oil and Gas Business Development and Local Content Fund would be established to support local capacity development.
He further explained that the fund would be used primarily for education, training and research and development in oil and gas.
He said under the framework, sources of the fund would include contributions from licensed operators, oil and gas revenue, levies, grants and other forms of support from Ghana’s development partners.
Mr Buah said the Ministry of Energy would oversee the disbursement of the fund.
THE government has drafted a Petroleum Bill which seeks to ensure that Ghanaians derive maximum benefit from the country’s oil and gas resources.
The bill also contains a framework to achieve local content and 90 per cent local participation in petroleum activities in the country by the year 2020.
Currently being scrutinised by the Attorney-General’s office, the bill underlines measures which enjoin operators in the oil industry to conform to the country’s laws, as well as operate within environmentally accepted limits, among others.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Minister of Energy, Dr Joe Oteng-Adjei, said under the bill, a Petroleum Regulatory Agency was expected to be established to oversee and monitor the activities of industry players as part of the government’s policy to ensure that Ghanaians derived maximum benefit from the oil find.
He explained that although the past New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration developed a policy which merged PNDC Law 84 and the Regulatory Framework, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had decided to separate the two to make it simpler, clearer and more transparent for oil companies to access and make decisions.
The minister said local content and participation referred to the level of use of Ghanaian expertise, goods and services, people, businesses and financing in oil and gas activities.
He said a key development objective of the government was to grow the economy to rapidly achieve accelerated development and industrialisation, adding that the oil and gas industry was known to contribute significantly to the strong economic growth of countries that produced the two commodities.
“It is anticipated that the development of the oil and gas industry will be a source of accelerated growth, poverty reduction and general prosperity for the people of Ghana. The active involvement of Ghanaians in oil and gas development through local content and participation has become a major policy issue of the NDC government,” Dr Oteng-Adjei pointed out.
Consequently, the minister stated that the government would seek to provide the enabling environment and opportunities for Ghanaians to benefit from the economic wealth that emanated from the activities in the oil and gas industry through the participation of Ghanaians in the ownership, operation, control and management of the sector.
Dr Oteng-Adjei explained that his office would submit the draft bill to Cabinet for study and subsequently to Parliament for approval, while broad consultation with relevant stakeholders was currently ongoing on the framework on local content and local participation.
“We are acting as quickly as possible to ensure that all these structures are put in place before oil production begins in the last quarter of the year,” the minister said.
He gave the assurance the relevant bodies in the country, including the political parties, were being given the opportunity to study and make inputs into the local content framework.
He said other legal bodies were also looking at the bill to make the necessary recommendations.
He, therefore, debunked claims that the government had not put in place any legal structures to cater for the country’s oil industry.
Throwing more light on the local content policy, a Deputy Minister of Energy, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, said PNDC Law 84 only tackled issues on exploration and it was, therefore, imperative for the government to come up with more pragmatic measures to regulate the petroleum industry in a more effective manner now that oil had been discovered in commercial quantities.
In order to give effect to the implementation of the local content and local participation policy, these policy directions would be legislated by regulations and other such legal instruments, Mr Buah explained.
“A dedicated Petroleum Regulatory Agency, with the assistance of independent national local content committees, will be mandated to oversee and ensure the full implementation of the local content and local participation policy,” he explained.
According to Mr Buah, an Oil and Gas Business Development and Local Content Fund would be established to support local capacity development.
He further explained that the fund would be used primarily for education, training and research and development in oil and gas.
He said under the framework, sources of the fund would include contributions from licensed operators, oil and gas revenue, levies, grants and other forms of support from Ghana’s development partners.
Mr Buah said the Ministry of Energy would oversee the disbursement of the fund.
Two lawyers to answer charges
Thursday, January 14, 2010 (Page 3 Lead)
AN Accra circuit court yesterday refused to stay proceedings in the matter in which two lawyers have been accused of forgery and defrauding by false pretences.
The lawyers, Joseph Kwame Owusu Asamani and Ekow Amua-Sekyi, will, by the refusal, have to answer criminal charges levelled against them.
Counsel for the two had filed an application for stay of proceedings in the trial on the grounds that cases between parties in the case were pending in different high courts and for that reason it would be prudent for the court to stay proceedings until those matters were determined.
However, the court, presided over by Mrs Justice Adwoa Bartels, dismissed the application on the grounds that parties in the cited cases were different from the parties in her court.
She indicated that she would give full reasons for her decision at the court sitting in Accra today.
The two were arraigned before the court on December 18, 2009 and were granted bail in the sum of GH¢80,000 each with two sureties each to be justified.
They pleaded not guilty to eight counts of conspiracy, forgery of judicial document and uttering forged document.
The two were arraigned at a time the Human Rights Division of the High Court had set January 22, 2010 to determine whether or not Mr Justice D.E.K. Daketsey, a circuit court judge, could continue sitting on the case against the two lawyers.
The lawyers had sought an interlocutory order restraining the circuit court judge from hearing the case until the final determination of the application currently before the Human Rights Court on the grounds that the judge was biased against them.
However, the Chief Justice assigned Mrs Cudjoe to the case, resulting in the arraignment of the two lawyers on December 18, 2009.
In the substantive matter, the two are alleged to have forged the judgement of a High Court judge, Mr Justice Ofori-Atta, compelling Mr Howard Eric Ewen, the Managing Director of Keegan Resources, to issue a cheque for $850,000 to Asamani.
When Asamani received the money, Amua-Sekyi signed as witness, prompting the complainant in the case, Mr Samuel Etroo, to lodge a complaint with the police.
AN Accra circuit court yesterday refused to stay proceedings in the matter in which two lawyers have been accused of forgery and defrauding by false pretences.
The lawyers, Joseph Kwame Owusu Asamani and Ekow Amua-Sekyi, will, by the refusal, have to answer criminal charges levelled against them.
Counsel for the two had filed an application for stay of proceedings in the trial on the grounds that cases between parties in the case were pending in different high courts and for that reason it would be prudent for the court to stay proceedings until those matters were determined.
However, the court, presided over by Mrs Justice Adwoa Bartels, dismissed the application on the grounds that parties in the cited cases were different from the parties in her court.
She indicated that she would give full reasons for her decision at the court sitting in Accra today.
The two were arraigned before the court on December 18, 2009 and were granted bail in the sum of GH¢80,000 each with two sureties each to be justified.
They pleaded not guilty to eight counts of conspiracy, forgery of judicial document and uttering forged document.
The two were arraigned at a time the Human Rights Division of the High Court had set January 22, 2010 to determine whether or not Mr Justice D.E.K. Daketsey, a circuit court judge, could continue sitting on the case against the two lawyers.
The lawyers had sought an interlocutory order restraining the circuit court judge from hearing the case until the final determination of the application currently before the Human Rights Court on the grounds that the judge was biased against them.
However, the Chief Justice assigned Mrs Cudjoe to the case, resulting in the arraignment of the two lawyers on December 18, 2009.
In the substantive matter, the two are alleged to have forged the judgement of a High Court judge, Mr Justice Ofori-Atta, compelling Mr Howard Eric Ewen, the Managing Director of Keegan Resources, to issue a cheque for $850,000 to Asamani.
When Asamani received the money, Amua-Sekyi signed as witness, prompting the complainant in the case, Mr Samuel Etroo, to lodge a complaint with the police.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Work On Oil Starts • Vessels in to build sub-sea structures
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 (Lead Story)
TECHNICAL installations have started on the Jubilee Oilfields at Cape Three Points to pave the way for the commercial production of oil and gas by the last quarter of this year.
Consequently, Happy River arrived in the country last week and is expected to to build sub-sea structures for the installation of a billion-dollar Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel.
The FPSO, the size of three football fields, is near completion in Singapore and it is expected to sail to the country in March this year.
A Deputy Minister of Energy in charge of Petroleum, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in an interview in Accra yesterday.
The FPSO will process and store oil and gas which were discovered in large quantities three years ago at Cape Three Points in the Western Region.
The Happy River, fitted with cranes, arrived from Finland last Wednesday, while the Olympic Triton, which is sailing from France, is expected in Ghanaian waters today.
The Happy River was built for heavy lifts, but it can also be used to carry forest products, general cargo and containers, as well as project items, while the Olympic Triton is a multifunctional sub-sea vessel with a large deck area and very large cargo capabilities for most operations. It is equipped with diesel-electric machinery which ensures low noise levels and low fuel consumption.
Mr Buah said so far 17 wells had been drilled, with each well containing millions of barrels of oil and gas.
The oilfields which will be developed in phases are expected to produce 120,000 barrels of crude per day.
They have proven reserves of more than 300 million barrels of recoverable oil, making the discovery West Africa’s largest offshore deep-water discovery in over a decade.
According to Mr Buah, the government was putting in place the necessary measures to ensure that Ghanaians derived maximum benefit from the oil find.
The Jubilee Oilfields are jointly owned by Kosmos Energy, Tullow Oil Ghana Limited, Anardarko Petroleum, Sabre Oil of Ireland, the GNPC and the E.O. Group, with Tullow Oil as the operator of the Jubilee Oilfields.
Partners in the oilfields will need to invest about $5 billion to fully develop the fields to pave the way for the production of oil.
Due to the cost involved in drilling and the time frame needed for the acquisition of equipment, the partners will develop the discovered fields in phases.
TECHNICAL installations have started on the Jubilee Oilfields at Cape Three Points to pave the way for the commercial production of oil and gas by the last quarter of this year.
Consequently, Happy River arrived in the country last week and is expected to to build sub-sea structures for the installation of a billion-dollar Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel.
The FPSO, the size of three football fields, is near completion in Singapore and it is expected to sail to the country in March this year.
A Deputy Minister of Energy in charge of Petroleum, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in an interview in Accra yesterday.
The FPSO will process and store oil and gas which were discovered in large quantities three years ago at Cape Three Points in the Western Region.
The Happy River, fitted with cranes, arrived from Finland last Wednesday, while the Olympic Triton, which is sailing from France, is expected in Ghanaian waters today.
The Happy River was built for heavy lifts, but it can also be used to carry forest products, general cargo and containers, as well as project items, while the Olympic Triton is a multifunctional sub-sea vessel with a large deck area and very large cargo capabilities for most operations. It is equipped with diesel-electric machinery which ensures low noise levels and low fuel consumption.
Mr Buah said so far 17 wells had been drilled, with each well containing millions of barrels of oil and gas.
The oilfields which will be developed in phases are expected to produce 120,000 barrels of crude per day.
They have proven reserves of more than 300 million barrels of recoverable oil, making the discovery West Africa’s largest offshore deep-water discovery in over a decade.
According to Mr Buah, the government was putting in place the necessary measures to ensure that Ghanaians derived maximum benefit from the oil find.
The Jubilee Oilfields are jointly owned by Kosmos Energy, Tullow Oil Ghana Limited, Anardarko Petroleum, Sabre Oil of Ireland, the GNPC and the E.O. Group, with Tullow Oil as the operator of the Jubilee Oilfields.
Partners in the oilfields will need to invest about $5 billion to fully develop the fields to pave the way for the production of oil.
Due to the cost involved in drilling and the time frame needed for the acquisition of equipment, the partners will develop the discovered fields in phases.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Lawyers in forgery case granted bail
Saturday, December 19, 2009 (Page 3 Lead)
THE two lawyers who are standing trial for forgery and defrauding by false pretence, were yesterday granted bail by the Accra Circuit Court.
The lawyers — Joseph Kwame Owusu Asamani and Ekow Amua-Sekyi — were granted bail in the sum of GH¢80,000 each with two sureties each to be justified.
They pleaded not guilty to eight counts of conspiracy, forgery of judicial document and uttering forged document and were admitted to bail by the court, presided over by Mrs Adwoa Bartels Cudjoe.
They are expected to re-appear on Tuesday, December 22, 2009.
Counsel for the accused persons, Mr James Agalga, is expected to move an application for stay of proceedings in the case on the next adjourned date.
The two were arraigned at a time the Human Rights Division of the High Court had set January 22, 2010 to determine whether or not Mr D.E.K. Daketsey, a Circuit Court judge, could continue sitting on the case against the two lawyers.
The lawyers had sought an interlocutory order restraining the Circuit Court judge from hearing the criminal case until the final determination of the application currently before the Human Rights Court on the grounds that the judge was biased against them.
However, the Chief Justice assigned Mrs Cudjoe to the case resulting in the arraignment of the two lawyers yesterday.
The lawyers, who wore suits, looked calm when they stood in the accused box. They were whisked away in a police vehicle to execute their bail bonds.
In the substantive matter, the two lawyers were alleged to have forged the judgement of a High Court judge, Mr Justice Ofori-Atta, compelling Mr Howard Eric Ewen, Managing Director of
Resources, to issue a cheque for $850,000 to Asamani.
When Asamani received the money on June 18, 2007, he issued a handwritten receipt while Amua-Sekyi signed as witness. The two have, however, denied any wrongdoing.
THE two lawyers who are standing trial for forgery and defrauding by false pretence, were yesterday granted bail by the Accra Circuit Court.
The lawyers — Joseph Kwame Owusu Asamani and Ekow Amua-Sekyi — were granted bail in the sum of GH¢80,000 each with two sureties each to be justified.
They pleaded not guilty to eight counts of conspiracy, forgery of judicial document and uttering forged document and were admitted to bail by the court, presided over by Mrs Adwoa Bartels Cudjoe.
They are expected to re-appear on Tuesday, December 22, 2009.
Counsel for the accused persons, Mr James Agalga, is expected to move an application for stay of proceedings in the case on the next adjourned date.
The two were arraigned at a time the Human Rights Division of the High Court had set January 22, 2010 to determine whether or not Mr D.E.K. Daketsey, a Circuit Court judge, could continue sitting on the case against the two lawyers.
The lawyers had sought an interlocutory order restraining the Circuit Court judge from hearing the criminal case until the final determination of the application currently before the Human Rights Court on the grounds that the judge was biased against them.
However, the Chief Justice assigned Mrs Cudjoe to the case resulting in the arraignment of the two lawyers yesterday.
The lawyers, who wore suits, looked calm when they stood in the accused box. They were whisked away in a police vehicle to execute their bail bonds.
In the substantive matter, the two lawyers were alleged to have forged the judgement of a High Court judge, Mr Justice Ofori-Atta, compelling Mr Howard Eric Ewen, Managing Director of
Resources, to issue a cheque for $850,000 to Asamani.
When Asamani received the money on June 18, 2007, he issued a handwritten receipt while Amua-Sekyi signed as witness. The two have, however, denied any wrongdoing.
Rokko was murdered on orders of • Prosecution alleges
Saturday, December 19, 2009 (Lead Story)
THE five soldiers who stand accused of murdering the Deputy Managing Director of the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), Mr Rokko Frimpong, were allegedly instructed by their superior officer to kill the banker.
According to the prosecution, the five were instructed to kill Mr Frimpong, who was said to have uncovered some fraudulent deals in the re-denomination exercise which incriminated some former top government officials.
The accused persons were said to have received between GH¢5,000 and GH¢15,000 for carrying out that assignment. Counsel for the soldiers, Mr Joe Aboagye Debrah, has described the prosecution’s case as “concocted pack of lies,” and maintained that “at the appropriate time their innocence would be proven”.
The soldiers — Sergeants Michael Arthur, Richard Somuah and Lamptey Haizel and Corporals Charles Ankumah and Emmanuel Antwi — have accordingly been charged with two counts of conspiracy and murder.
They were yesterday arraigned at the Osu District Magistrate’s Court, presided over by Mr Emmanuel Bart Brew Plange, and were remanded in prison custody to re-appear on January 22, 2010.
Their pleas have not been taken.
Presenting the facts of the case, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Patrick A. Morkeh, told the court that the five were recruited by their superior officer (name not provided in court) at the 64 Infantry Battalion to eliminate Mr Frimpong, who was said to have uncovered the rot involving some top-ranking government officials.
According to the prosecution, the soldiers were instructed to kill Mr Frimpong to prevent the said government officials from being exposed.
The prosecution said for their reward, they were allegedly given between GH¢5,000 and GH¢15,000. Four of the soldiers, according to the prosecution, admitted receiving the moneys for unexplained reasons but not for the murder of Mr Frimpong.
It said the other one claimed he never received any money.
Mr Morkeh prayed the court to remand the accused persons, since investigations were ongoing.
Reacting to the prosecution’s assertions, counsel for the soldiers maintained that his clients were innocent, adding that he would prove the innocence of the accused in due course.
Mr Debrah explained that his clients reported for work because they knew they had not committed any offence only to end up being picked up by security operatives.
He described the accused persons as “young soldiers who have dedicated themselves to the service of the country. It is unfortunate this is happening to them”.
Counsel argued that it was strange for the state to accuse the soldiers of murdering Mr Frimpong when some civilians had been arrested, investigated and the docket on their case forwarded to the Attorney-General’s office for advice over the same issue.
Mr Debrah explained that the moneys given to the soldiers were ex gratia payments the previous government made to some security officers for their dedicated service to the country.
“I have absolute confidence that the soldiers are innocent of all allegations and we would prove it in the course of the trial,” counsel added.
The soldiers were picked up barely 72 hours after the Human Rights Court, presided over by Ms Charity Irene Danquah, had ordered their immediate release from the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) custody.
On December 15, 2009, the court ordered the release of the five after defence lawyers had argued that their clients’ continued detention was a flagrant abuse of their human rights, as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution, especially when the BNI failed to give a tangible reason for their continued detention.
Upholding submissions of defence counsel, the court held that it was wrong for the BNI to keep the soldiers at an undisclosed place for more than 48 hours without a court order and without telling the soldiers which offence they were being held for.
The five were picked up between November 12 and 14, 2009 to an undisclosed location, prompting their spouses to file an application for habeas corpus. Habeas corpus, a Latin phrase, is a legal action through which a person can seek relief from unlawful detention or that of another person.
The application was expected to be heard on December 2, 2009, but the state secured the remand of the soldiers on December 1, 2009 at the Accra Circuit Court.
But the court disapproved of the action of the BNI and said it was unfortunate for the BNI to claim it did not know it was unlawful to continuously detain the accused without a court order.
THE five soldiers who stand accused of murdering the Deputy Managing Director of the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), Mr Rokko Frimpong, were allegedly instructed by their superior officer to kill the banker.
According to the prosecution, the five were instructed to kill Mr Frimpong, who was said to have uncovered some fraudulent deals in the re-denomination exercise which incriminated some former top government officials.
The accused persons were said to have received between GH¢5,000 and GH¢15,000 for carrying out that assignment. Counsel for the soldiers, Mr Joe Aboagye Debrah, has described the prosecution’s case as “concocted pack of lies,” and maintained that “at the appropriate time their innocence would be proven”.
The soldiers — Sergeants Michael Arthur, Richard Somuah and Lamptey Haizel and Corporals Charles Ankumah and Emmanuel Antwi — have accordingly been charged with two counts of conspiracy and murder.
They were yesterday arraigned at the Osu District Magistrate’s Court, presided over by Mr Emmanuel Bart Brew Plange, and were remanded in prison custody to re-appear on January 22, 2010.
Their pleas have not been taken.
Presenting the facts of the case, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Patrick A. Morkeh, told the court that the five were recruited by their superior officer (name not provided in court) at the 64 Infantry Battalion to eliminate Mr Frimpong, who was said to have uncovered the rot involving some top-ranking government officials.
According to the prosecution, the soldiers were instructed to kill Mr Frimpong to prevent the said government officials from being exposed.
The prosecution said for their reward, they were allegedly given between GH¢5,000 and GH¢15,000. Four of the soldiers, according to the prosecution, admitted receiving the moneys for unexplained reasons but not for the murder of Mr Frimpong.
It said the other one claimed he never received any money.
Mr Morkeh prayed the court to remand the accused persons, since investigations were ongoing.
Reacting to the prosecution’s assertions, counsel for the soldiers maintained that his clients were innocent, adding that he would prove the innocence of the accused in due course.
Mr Debrah explained that his clients reported for work because they knew they had not committed any offence only to end up being picked up by security operatives.
He described the accused persons as “young soldiers who have dedicated themselves to the service of the country. It is unfortunate this is happening to them”.
Counsel argued that it was strange for the state to accuse the soldiers of murdering Mr Frimpong when some civilians had been arrested, investigated and the docket on their case forwarded to the Attorney-General’s office for advice over the same issue.
Mr Debrah explained that the moneys given to the soldiers were ex gratia payments the previous government made to some security officers for their dedicated service to the country.
“I have absolute confidence that the soldiers are innocent of all allegations and we would prove it in the course of the trial,” counsel added.
The soldiers were picked up barely 72 hours after the Human Rights Court, presided over by Ms Charity Irene Danquah, had ordered their immediate release from the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) custody.
On December 15, 2009, the court ordered the release of the five after defence lawyers had argued that their clients’ continued detention was a flagrant abuse of their human rights, as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution, especially when the BNI failed to give a tangible reason for their continued detention.
Upholding submissions of defence counsel, the court held that it was wrong for the BNI to keep the soldiers at an undisclosed place for more than 48 hours without a court order and without telling the soldiers which offence they were being held for.
The five were picked up between November 12 and 14, 2009 to an undisclosed location, prompting their spouses to file an application for habeas corpus. Habeas corpus, a Latin phrase, is a legal action through which a person can seek relief from unlawful detention or that of another person.
The application was expected to be heard on December 2, 2009, but the state secured the remand of the soldiers on December 1, 2009 at the Accra Circuit Court.
But the court disapproved of the action of the BNI and said it was unfortunate for the BNI to claim it did not know it was unlawful to continuously detain the accused without a court order.
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