Massive turnout • For the 2008 general elections

December 08,2008 (Part of Collated Lead Story on Presidential and Parliamentary elections)

Ghanaians yesterday poured out in astonishing numbers to cast their votes in Presidential and Parliamentary elections that were generally peaceful in most of the 22,000 polling stations across the country.
At Tema, George Sydney Abugri & Rose Hayford-Darko report that voting was generally peaceful and orderly in the Tema Metropolis and Ashaiman Municipality.
Queues were especially long and winding at the Redemption Valley and Low Cost Electoral Area Polling Stations at Community Nine, VALCO Numbers One and Two Polling Stations at Community Four, the Holy Child Nursery and the Holy Child School Polling Stations at the Sakumono Estates and the Sakumono Primary School Polling Station at the Sakumono Village.
Many voters waiting patiently in queues in the hot sun to vote, told the Daily Graphic that they went to the polling stations as early as 4 am. Most cited their determination to influence the choice of their representatives in Parliament in the next government and the choice of the country’s next president, as the source of their motivation.
As of twelve noon, no incidence of violence or serious disputes had been reported in the port city and its suburbs except for a reported slight skirmish at Bethlehem near Ashaiman, over alleged attempts by some voters to jump the queue.
A tour of the usually busy communities of the metropolis revealed totally deserted streets.
The electoral officers were ready at the polling stations as early as 6 am to receive the polling materials.
According to the Tema Regional Electoral Officer, Mr Michael Boadu, a total of 471,185 people were expected to cast their votes in the Tema Region made up of Tema, Ashaiman, Adenta and Kpone-Katamanso at 423 polling stations.
At the Datus polling station in Tema East, a voter, Gabriel Asante, said he started queuing at 12 am to enable him to secure a position to vote early.
The Presiding Officer at the Ashaiman TMA No. 1 polling station, Mr Andrew Nartey, said their materials arrived at about 8.30 am but voters were patient.
Materials arrived at the Roman Catholic School polling stations at Ashaiman at 7.30 am but as of 8.40 am they still had not received stamp pads, a situation that compelled the Presiding Officer, Mr Kojo Summaila, to purchase one.
The few problems that were encountered by the polling stations included the late arrival of transfer lists and some voters jumping queues.
The Public Relations Officer of the Tema Regional Police Command, Inspector Olivia Turkson, said security personnel were deployed to the various polling stations at 3 am.
Kate Baaba Hudson reports from Kpone-Katamanso that voting at the various polling stations in the Kpone-Katamanso Constituency in the Tema Municipality went on smoothly as voters formed queues orderly and patiently and waited for their turn.
Most of them called at the stations very early in the morning to form queues while others waited till midday to cast their votes.
Some of the voters had been there about 8 p.m. on Saturday, while others got there at about 4 a.m.
Voting in these areas also started early as election officials and materials arrived early for a take-off at 7 a.m.
As of 8.50 a.m. at the Katamanso Presby Kindergarten, Nursery and Primary School, the Presiding Officer for Penkwai, Ms Margaret Mettle, said 236 had cast their votes out of the 821 who were expected to vote there.
She said from the way the voting was going on, the exercise would be over before 5 p.m.
Mr Divine Azamati, the Polling Assistant, said 712 people were expected to vote in that area, but as of 9 a.m. 166 people had cast their votes.
No incidents were recorded there, but two people who transferred their votes to the area were not allowed to vote, because they did not have their transfer letters and the codes did not match that of the polling centre, and there were some skips in the numbering in some of the registers.
The Chief of Kubekro, Nii Mensah Bossah II, who had already voted when the Daily Graphic spoke to him by 9 15 a.m., advised all voters to go back home after casting their votes.
He said people could wait patiently in their homes for the results and urged those who wished to call at the collation centres to witness the collation, to do so in a peaceful manner.
At the Appolonia Methodist Primary School electoral area, the Presiding Officer, Cornelius Mensah, said voting started at 7 a.m.
He said 719 people were expected to vote in the area, but 216 had voted as of 9.30 a.m.
At the Kpone Methodist Primary Polling Station, Mr Shadrack Tetteh, the Returning Officer, said 2,800 people were expected to vote at the area, which had been split into two, but only 577, made up of 319 and 258 for the two divisions respectively, had voted by 10.40 a.m.
From Ablekuma Central, Gifty Bamfo reports that there was large voter turnout at the Ablekuma Central Constituency as voters started queuing a day before the elections.
A woman who gave her name as Aba Owiaba, a voter from Apam at Polling Station A at the Odorkor Police Barracks, said she slept over at the station to enable her to vote early. At about 6:20 when the Daily Graphic got there the ballot boxes and papers were being arranged for the voting to commence.
As of 6:45 a.m. when the Daily Graphic got to the JT cluster of schools, which had four polling stations namely Mataheko 2 Boys JHS (A and B), Mataheko 1 Girls JHS (A and B) no ballot material had arrived.
The presiding officers of the polling stations said they had contacted the EC for the materials to be delivered.
There were winding queues as most of the voters arrived before 3:00 a.m. with a lot of the aged among them. An 84-year-old woman who gave her name as Grace Ayittey said she arrived at the polling station at about 5:00 a.m. in the morning to vote but had to wait for the ballot papers.
As of the time the Daily Graphic was leaving the polling stations, most of the party agents including the National Democratic Congress (NDC), New Patriotic Party (NPP), Convention People’s Party (CPP) and the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) had arrived and were waiting for voting processes to begin.
At the Mataheko Pentecost polling station the ballot papers arrived at 6:45 a.m. with voters starting to vote at exactly 7:00 am with priority being given to the aged and pregnant women.
The Presiding Officer at the station, Mrs Rich-Joyce Amarh, said the electoral process was smooth as all the party agents had arrived and were co-operating.
In an interview with a pregnant woman who gave her name as Sophia, after voting, she said she voted for the NPP because she was enjoying the free maternal care, adding, “I want Nana to win so that I can also give birth for free”.
At about 6:50 am the ballot materials for Temporary Booths A and B had arrived and voters started casting their votes at exactly 7:00 am. The presiding officers at both stations said the voter turnout was encouraging and they were expecting more voter turnout by the end of the process.
Party agents for the NDC, NPP and CPP were the only ones present as of 8:05 a.m. when the Daily Graphic was leaving for other stations.
The party agents said voters comported themselves very well and they were hopeful the whole process would be peaceful.
At 10:45 a.m. when the Daily Graphic got to the Temporary Booth Success Cinema hall stations A and B electoral procedures were ongoing without queues.
The presiding officers said the ballot materials arrived on time and so voting started at exactly 7:00 a.m. with about 760 people having cast their ballot out of the expected 2315 voters.
Only party agents from the NPP and NDC were present at the station.
At the People’s Shop in West Russia electoral processes were going on smoothly.
The presiding officer at the station said there was one physically challenged man who was assisted by his wife to go through the voting process.
At the Police Quarters A and B about 674 voters had cast their votes out of the expected 2933 registered voters.
The presiding officers said the electoral processes were smooth as all party agents had been represented apart from the DFP and PNC.
In an interview with some of the voters they said the voting process was peaceful and they were praying it would end like that at the end of the voting process.
Kwame Asante, a footwear seller, in an interview with the Daily Graphic after voting said “ I voted for the NPP because I am happy with what president Kufuor has done so far. I want Nana to continue with it”.
Another voter, Rosemond Dorkunu, said she voted for the NDC because she was not happy with the present government and was hoping for a change in government.
A 19-year-old JHS dropout who gave his name as Bernard Kodua after voting told the Daily Graphic that he voted for the NPP because Nana Akufo-Addo had promised free senior high school education and so was hopeful he would go back to school when he came to power.
In the Adenta Constituency, Severious Kale Dery reports that it was a mixed feeling of anxiety and enthusiasm that characterised the mood of voters as they waited patiently to cast their votes at most of the polling stations at the Adenta Constituency in the Greater Accra Region.
At the Adenta Community School, Presbyterian School, Holy Rosary Roman Catholic School, the Adenta Pharmacy, the Vineyard Church and the Sunbeam Montessori polling stations, eligible voters formed long winding queues as early as 3.00 a.m. in anticipation of the commencement of the voting exercise.
When the Daily Graphic visited these polling stations around 5.00 a.m., voters were set awaiting the arrival of the Electoral Commission (EC) officers.
Some prospective voters the Daily Graphic spoke to said they got to the polling stations as early as 3.00 a.m. so that they could vote early and go back home.
But the inability of newly registered eligible voters to locate their polling stations dominated in almost all the polling stations in the constituency.
The worst affected polling station was the Adenta Community School, which was used as one of the registration centres for those who just turned 18 and those who had not registered before.
In spite of the fact that they were told where to vote on the voting day during the registration exercise, almost all those who registered at the Community School polling centre turned up there to vote and would not understand why they should be asked to go to another polling station.
The Presiding Officer of the station, Mr Daniel Tibu, had a hectic time redirecting such voters to their respective polling stations.
Another group of voters the presiding officers within the constituency had to deal with were the transfer voters, most of whom got to the polling stations very early in the morning, joined the queues only to be told to wait because the transfer voter list had not yet arrived.
Some of those who were redirected to their right polling stations or were asked to wait for the transfer list, decided to abandon the voting exercise altogether.
At the Holy Rosary School polling stations, while the polling station ‘A’ had all the EC documents to start with the exercise, the station ‘B’ was yet to receive the transfer list as of 11.30 a.m. when the Daily Graphic was leaving the station.
The presiding officers and the party agents at both ‘A’ and ‘B’ were okay with the arrangement so far at the two stations. The Presiding Officer at the ‘B’, Mr Michael Wormenor, explained that he had contacted the EC office and the transfer list would be sent in as soon as possible.
He said those who reported the polling station with transfer chits were asked to wait for the arrival of the list.
The Presiding Officer at the Adenta Pharmacy, Mr Peter Mante, said the problem as to where eligible voters were to cast their votes were because most people did not visit the polling centres during the voter exhibition exercise.
Voting was going on smoothly in most of the polling stations that the Daily Graphic visited in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency, reports Vance Azu.
At the University of Ghana, Legon, voting at all the poling stations on campus, namely Volta, Legon, Mensah Sarbah and Commonwealth halls, had been peaceful and orderly.
It was only at the Akuafo Hall polling centre where one of the electoral teams failed to turn up as of 11 a.m.
As a result, the Presiding Officer, Mr Isaac Acquah, was handling the nearly 500 voters in the queue out of the 3000 duly registered voters who were expected to cast their votes.
At the Jack and Jill School at Roman Ridge, the presiding officer said voting was orderly and the centre had not encountered any problems yet.
As early as 3 a.m., voters had started queuing at the polling centres in the Dome-Kwabenya Constituency to cast their votes, reports Hannah Amoah.
Some voters had brought along chairs from their homes so as to sit comfortably and wait for their turn to vote.
When the Daily Graphic visited about eight polling stations, the atmosphere was calm and voting was going on smoothly.
At the Anglican polling station at Dome, there was chaos when voting was about to start as some voters tried to jump the queue.
The Presiding Officer, Mr Adjei Ababio, called in for police reinforcement before calm was restored as the two police personnel detailed to the centre could not control the crowd.
Apart from the omission of names of voters from the register, others were asked to go to other polling stations to cast their votes after queuing for long hours.
At the Atomic Hill School Temporary Booth B, security personnel had to calm the voters, since the electoral officers were allowing the aged and those carrying babies to vote first.
As of 10 a.m. more than 1000 voters had voted in about four polling stations in the Dome-Kwabenya Constituency.
At the Novelty Polling Centre, some voters refused to vote for a parliamentary candidate because they claimed they did not see the need to vote for one.
The Presiding Officer at the Akakpo Dome Temporary Booth, Mr Emmanuel Dornoo, expressed his displeasure at the behaviour of the MP of the area, Prof. Mike Oquaye, when he shook hands with voters who were about to cast their votes and contended that such behaviours were not allowed at polling centres.
From the Korle-Klottey Constituency, Rebecca Quaicoe Duho reports that voting was delayed for 20 minutes at the Public Works Department (PWD) Castle polling station.
The polls finally began at 7.20 a.m. and a total of 260 people had voted as of 10 am and the Presiding Officer, Mr Richard Mingle, in an interview said a total of 1,103 persons including Former President Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, were expected to cast their vote.
According to him, the voting materials, which arrived at 7 am, was short of Absent Voters’ List and the Enumeration Forms but he said that was not going to cause any problem, since they could rely on the list from the political parties polling agents to cross-check when people arrived with ID cards but could not find their names in the voters register.
At the Arts Centre Polling Station ‘A’ and ‘B’ where a total of 2,221 people were expected to exercise their franchise, a long queue was observed as people patiently waited for their turn to vote.
Speaking to the Presiding Officer of the polling station ‘A’, Mr Chris Addo-Adodo, he said voting started at 7:15 am and as of 10:35 a total of 321 had voted and the process was moving on smoothly.
The officer at the polling station ‘B’, Mr Frank Nene-Yullie, also said so far everything was moving on smoothly.
He said a total of 300 people had voted as of 10:40 am and he was hopeful that everything would be as peaceful as it started.
He was observed busily sorting out people who had misplaced their ID cards and also those who had transferred their votes to the centre.
At the Cristal City Temporary Booth in Adabraka, ballot papers were brought in after 8 am as anxious voters had queued since dawn to cast their votes.
The ballots papers were being counted before voting as of 8:12 am when the Daily Graphic got to the centre.
A voter at the centre told the Daily Graphic that a wrong register was brought to the centre at 7 am and it had to be taken back resulting in the delay.
A visit to some selected polling stations within the Dadekotopon Constituency revealed that voting materials were received after 5:00 am and voting started at exactly 7 am, reports Mary Mensah.
Some of the voters indicated that they got to the polling stations at about 3:00 am in order to cast their vote early and go home to wait for the results.
There are about 113 polling stations within the constituency with 108,556 eligible voters who are expected to cast their votes and at some of the polling stations almost half of the eligible voters had already cast their vote while some were virtually empty.
At the Airport Police Station Polling station, the Former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, was one of the party agents.
Wearing a white lace attire, Nana Konadu said she was confident that the NDC would win the elections.
She said she cast her vote at the Ridge School but the materials delayed a bit so she had to go home and return later to cast her vote after which she proceeded to the Airport Police Station to act as a party agent.
Hilda Owusu reports from the Okaikwei South Constituency that voting commenced in the South Okaikoi Constituency amidst a calm and peaceful atmosphere as prospective voters waited patiently in queues for their turn to exercise their franchise.
When the Graphic team got to the AMA Revenue office at Bubiashie, some members of the public told this reporter that they got there as early as 2:00 am in order to be able to vote on time and leave for their respective homes.
Others were seated comfortably in plastic chairs that they had brought from their homes as they did not know when it would be their turn to vote. According to the Presiding Officer, Mr Emmanuel Aryeequaye, out of the expected 1048 voters who were supposed to cast their vote, about 155 had voted as of 7:45 am.
The voting was devoid of problems except that some persons were not allowed to vote because according to the Presiding Officer, their names were not in the transfer list. Of particular interest was a couple who had travelled all the way from Kumasi to cast their vote and as of the time of filing this report, the couple had still not voted.
After casting her vote, Eva, a businesswoman, told the Daily Graphic that she was impressed with the voting process so far and although she got there at 5:00 am, she was able to vote at 8:00 am. She even went a step further to disclose that she voted for the ruling party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The situation was no different at the Anglican JSS, it was peaceful, calm and orderly. However, patronage was low and as explained by the Presiding Officer, Mr Joseph Quartey "it looks like some of them have gone to church, we hope that they get back soon enough to vote. So far 150 have voted and we are expecting 469 voters from this polling station."
Both the Bubiashie Bishop Boys A and B polling stations started voting on time with the prospective voters doing well to comport themselves. The presence of the security service and other observers provided a peaceful atmosphere for the election process. Representatives of the major political parties were present to witness the voting process.
The Accra Academy Hall A and B was almost without activity. According to the Presiding Officer, Mr Henry Johnson, "I don't know whether it is because this year's elections fell on Sunday so people are resting before voting. Last year was quite different but we're hopeful that they would turn up in their numbers before voting closes as 5:00 pm."
At the same polling station, some members were aggrieved due to the fact that the transfer list had not arrived to enable them to vote.
Turnout at the St Theresa Preparatory School A and B was massive. Out of the expected 1403 voters, more than 400 had already cast their vote with quite a sizeable number still waiting for their turn. According to Abdul Rahman Salifu, the Presiding Officer, there had been an increase in the number of voters this year and so far, the voting process had been peaceful.
Kwaemu Herbal Clinic also had a peaceful voting process.
Elise Beacom & Emma Ballantine Dykes report that residents of Jamestown and the surrounding area defied 'flashpoint' predictions this morning, casting their votes in a calm and orderly manner.
The high number of international observers found patrolling the Odododiodoo Constituency reflected expectations of voter agitation, but those fears did not materialise.
Representatives from the British and Australian High Commissions were spotted questioning Presiding Officers at the polling stations and keeping a close eye on proceedings.
However, one observer from the British High Commission confirmed that she and her team were under strict instructions not to interfere in the process.
There was evidence nonetheless that the scrutiny of external observers was motivating EC officials and security personnel to act professionally.
From Jamestown to Makola, Presiding Officers from the Electoral Commission (EC) reported a quiet and problem-free start to the day’s exercise.
In some areas as many as a third of registered voters had already visited the polling booths by 9 am, seemingly anxious to cast their vote as early as possible.
Some had reportedly begun queuing as early as 2 am.
On her way to the polling booth, Ms Martha Akorsah expressed confidence in her fellow voters, saying that most Ghanaians were not rowdy by nature.
A mild source of confusion was that a number of people turned up at the wrong polling station, but no one was allowed to vote where they had not been registered or legitimately transferred.
The Presiding Officer at the notorious Richard Akwei Memorial School polling station, Mr Wilson Amartifio, reported more worrying instances of voters claiming to have forgotten to complete one of their two ballot papers.
He said, however, that his team had been ruthless in ensuring that nobody was allowed back into the voting area on such a pretext.
In the Kinka area of Odododiodoo Presiding Officer Gloria Bulley said a handful of people had arrived at the station having lost their voter identification cards, but said the photo-registers had made it easy to identify them.
A relaxed group of police officers congregated outside Jamestown Police Station looking confident that their cells would remain empty.
Jennifer Dornoo & Leticia Ohene-Asiedu report from the Okaikwei North Constituency that as early as 1:00 am, registered voters had already trooped to the polling stations awaiting the arrival of election officials and materials to cast their vote.
Some of the voters were seen lying on mats with others sitting on benches and plastic chairs as they waited for the electoral process to begin at 7 am.
At the Happy Home School where voting started at 7:25 am, a party agent who refused to disclose his identity said on arrival of the ballot boxes, the parliamentary box had two of its seals removed.
According to him, the two ballot seals bearing the codes 3113900 and 3113916 were removed from the box when it arrived leaving only one seal with the code 3113999.
He said this was a bit alarming, since they could not find out whether the ballot box with the materials in it had been tempered with or not.
The party agent therefore said no explanation had been given to them as to the whereabouts of the two seals when the EC representatives were questioned.
Most of the electorate in the constituency were not satisfied with the work of the EC, since they could not find their names in the register at the polling stations they registered.
At the Lapaz video centre, a voter, Mr A. Ziguanty, complained bitterly that he had been voting at that particular polling station since the year 2000 but was disappointed when he could not find his name in the register.
“I even checked my name in the voters register recently when the EC asked us to and I found my name. How could my name mysteriously vanish,” he said.
He said he had visited three other polling stations but could still not find his name.
At the Emmanuel Gospel Ministries, a lady who gave her name as Matilda was refused her right to vote because she wore an artificial nail.
She was later allowed to vote due to the intervention of some electorate who protested.
At the Alhaji Abass polling station, electoral materials arrived at the centre as late as 8:20 am delaying the start of the electoral process, which finally started at 9:30 am.
At stations such as Four Square Gospel Church, the Apostolic Church of Ghana, Gospel Believers Outreach Church and the Christian Mission College, electoral process started at exactly 7 am with a peaceful and serene atmosphere.
At the Ledzokuku Constituency in Accra, Daniel Nkrumah reports that voting was generally peaceful with indications of high voter turnout.
There was security presence in all polling stations and other commercial activities were going on briskly with food vendors evidently making good business.
Many voters exuded great enthusiasm as they queued to cast their ballots, and away from the polling stations, pockets of the youth gathered to discuss issues of the election, some jokingly taunting others with their party slogans.
Yet, there were a few cases of reported infractions and Clement Adongo, 19, found himself behind the bars at the Teshie Police Station, after he was arrested at the Presby Polling Station where he was alleged to have attempted to vote with a fake voters ID.
“We are still investigating the issue to come out with the real facts,” the police investigator dealing with the case, Agyei K. Adusei, told the Daily Graphic.
Around mid-day most polling stations visited had recorded a voter turnout of close to half the number of registered voters. At the Asesewa Polling Station at Teshie out of a total number of 1254 registered voters, 508 had voted and there were still long queues of voters.
“It has been very smooth,” Nii Otoo Lartey, Presiding Officer at the Anglican Polling Station at Teshie, told the Daily Graphic.
At the Lascala Cinema Polling Station, the Presiding Officer, Leslie Tetteh-Mensah, said voting had been smooth except for the issue of transferred voters who were still in limbo as the transfer list had yet not arrived.
“It’s about 10.30 am and we still waiting for the transfer list so that those who had transferred their votes can vote,” he told the Daily Graphic.
However, that was not the case at the Anglican Polling Station where party agents and electoral officials agreed to have the transfer voters cast the ballots despite the fact that the transfer list had not yet arrived.
Caroline Boateng reports from the Nadat Memorial School Polling Station in West Adenta, in the Madina Abokobi Constituency, that a huge crowd gathered at the polling station as early as 4 a.m. to cast their ballots.
Some sent their children, wards and house-helps ahead to join the long winding queue till the vote started at 7 a.m.
Electoral materials and logistics arrived at the polling station at 5:15, by which time the electoral officer in charge of the station, Mr Alhassan Hudu, was already at post with assistants to take delivery of materials.
An immigration officer and a policeman were also at post to keep the process orderly and peaceful.
The polling officer, giving a brief of events, said there were 1879 voters on the register of that station with 31 names on the transfer list.
He said he was not expecting any shortages of materials, since he had more than 2000 ballot papers, which was more than the number of voters on the register.
The Obenetso Shishi Polling Station is perhaps the hottest spot in the Krowor Constituency, as two incidents were recorded this morning, reports Samuel Doe Ablordeppey.
When voting started early this morning, some of the electorate and residents in the area protested a billboard of the political parties standing right opposite the polling station.
The Presiding Officer at the polling station, Mr William-Wilson Techie-Young, told the Daily Graphic that he instructed that the billboard be pulled down as the protests nearly marred the smooth voting process.
A second incident, which occurred around 11.25 am, involved a voter who was alleged to be engaged in double voting. One of the polling agents who had spotted him earlier in the queue, raised an alarm that attracted the attention of people in the area who trooped to the Obenetso Shishi Polling Station to prevent the alleged voter from voting again.
The presiding officer quickly called a Police Rapid Deployment Force whose timely intervention restored calm to the polling station.
At the time of the visit, more than a third of the 959 registered voters had cast their votes smoothly.
Although the Nungua Secondary School Polling Station has one of the highest voter populations in the constituency, voting was smooth.
The Presiding Officer, Mr Ken Bray, told the Daily Graphic that the station had not recorded any incident, except for a teaming number of people who could not find their names on the transfer list. The polling station has 2,341 registered voters.
About 40 people had been told to wait patiently as they await a returning officer to advise on how to deal with the large number of people who were carrying slips showing they had completed the transfer of their name to that polling station but could not trace it on the list.
Other Polling Stations visited in the Krowor Constituency, where voting was generally smooth and incident free, included the Nungua Presby J.H.S., ACC 1&2 Primary, the A.M.A. Anglican Cluster of Schools, the Christ Apostolic Church Polling Station and Nungua Presec.
Voting generally started smoothly and on time in the East Ayawaso Constituency in Accra, reports Musah Yahaya Jafaru.
All the 119 polling stations received their voting materials by 6:30, with majority of them starting at exactly 7:00 a.m. Some of the polling stations, however, delayed for between five and 25 minutes.
Some of the electorate started forming queues as early as 4:00 a.m. This reporter saw a long queue of between 100 and 250 people as of 5:30 p.m. at the Mountain Zion, Dunia Cinema, Nima Post Office polling stations.
Virtually all the polling stations visited by the Daily Graphic in the constituency depicted an atmosphere of peace and order. There were no heckling or scuffles. The police officers seemed relaxed in their seats or on their feet as there were no confusion to warrant any response.
The long queues started reducing from 11:00 am, and by 12:00 p.m. there were no queues at some of the polling stations, and by 2:00 pm there were virtually no queues at all the polling stations.
The centres visited include Dunia Cinema, Nima Post Office, Kusuntu Line Mosque, Mountain Zion, Taxi Rank and Tahani polling stations.
The presiding officers told the Daily Graphic that there was no shortage of voting materials, and that they did not experience any problem. All the four polling assistants were at post.
Mr Kwesi Harrison, the Presiding Officer of the Dunia Cinema polling station, said "so far no confusion. Everything is moving on smoothly".
A total of 307 out of the 1,185 registered voters had voted at the station as of 10:38, while 50 people were still in the queue.
The presiding officer of the Taxi Rank polling station, Mr Norman Christian, told this reporter that he did not record any confusion or hitches at the station, which was confirmed by the police officer on duty.
The only minus, he said, was the inability of one of the four polling assistants to turn up.
As of 11:30 am, 200 people had voted at the station with a few people in the queue.
At the Nima Post Office polling station, the Presiding Officer, Mr Abdul-Karim Chere, said they started at 7:20 a.m. as they spent some time entering the number of the voting materials and organising themselves.
He said 295 had voted as of 10:50 am while 98 people were still in the queue. Asked whether they would extend the time of voting, since they started 25 minutes late, Mr Chere said he and his officers had not decided on that yet.
Some of the electorate told the Daily Graphic that the election would be peaceful despite the anxiety.
Mr Ibrahim Sambo conceded that there was so much tension in the country, but indicated that Ghanaians had matured politically to avoid any violent confrontation.
The people appealed to the political leaders to accept the outcome of the election to spare the nation any conflict or instability.
Eight parliamentary candidates are contesting the East Ayawaso Constituency seat. They are Alhaji Mohammed Salisu Baba of the NPP, Alhaji Mohammed Muftao of the PNC, Dr Mustapha Ahmed of the NDC, Mr Bernard Anvurr-Billy of the CPP, Sheikh Abdul-Karim Larry Amin of CPP, Mr Samuel Kwasi Gyasi of the New Vision Party, Mr Mohammed Amin Lamptey and Mr Daniel Danquah, both independent candidates.
At the Mt Olivet Methodist Church in the Ablekuma South Constituency, the ballot boxes together with other logistics arrived at about 6:50 a.m after the Head Pastor of the church, Right Reverend Awotwi Pratt, had led the electorate through prayers for a peaceful, transparent and violent-free election in the constituency, reports Edward Turkson.
Voting started at exactly 7 a.m. with most of the voters sitting relaxed on chairs waiting for their turn under the surveillance of one security person and polling agents from all the political parties including one agent for the only independent candidate, John Nana Kabutey Tettegah.
The Presiding Officer for the polling station, Mrs Janet A. Koranteng, expressed the hope that the exercise would be transparent and that the electorate would also comport themselves to ensure that the exercise becomes violent-free in the area as it had always been. As of the time of leaving the polling station about 120 people had already exercised their franchise and were peacefully leaving the station to their various homes, hoping to return in the evening to listen to the result.
At the Martin De Porres Preparatory School in the Ablekuma South Constituency the electorate complained that the materials arrived late and voting started at about 7:40 am. The queue at the station was very long and winding so some of the electorate had to sit on pavements awaiting their turns to exercise their franchise. At the time of leaving the station about 120 people had voted. The Presiding Officer, Mr Stephen Mintah-Bempong, was confident that the polls would be violent-free because the station and the constituency were noted for their patronage and violent-free elections. The process there was a bit slow for the electorate some of whom were eagerly awaiting their turn.
From the Shai Osudoku Constituency, the Presbyterian Primary Manyayiti Dodowa Electoral Area in the Dangme West District, voting materials were in as early as 6:25 a.m. and voting started at exactly 7 a.m. and according to the Presiding Officer, Gideon Maya, no problem had erupted. He said all those who had voted found their names in the actual register. In attendance were two security personnel, one from the Police Service and another from the Fire Service. Polling agents present were representatives of the NPP, NDC, CPP, PNC and DFP.
At the Dodowa Post Office Dwamomo Polling Station at Shai Osudoku in the Dangme West District, the materials arrived at 6:30 am and voters who had queued there had to wait till 7 a.m. for voting to begin. According to the Presiding Officer, Mr Timothy Johnson, registered voters in the area were 1050 and a transfer list of about 39 who had peacefully exercised their franchise. He said about 250 had already exercised their franchise by 9.00 a.m. and had returned to their various homes.
The station, he admitted, was noted for its incident-free elections and was hopeful that no chaos would be recorded in the area by the end of the day when counting begins.
At the Day Care Centre Zongo in Dodowa in the Dangme West District, the electoral materials, according to the Presiding Officer, Mr Sylvester Asare, arrived at about 6:15 a.m. and voting began at 7 a.m exactly. The registered voters in the area, he said, were 512 with about 13 transferred names. At about 10:37 am almost 237 voters had exercised their franchise and the station looked almost empty with the polling agents, one security person and the electoral officers sitting leisurely waiting for voters who had not yet turned up.
As of 11 am, there were no security personnel at the New Joma Polling Station at the Weija Constituency, reports Francis Yaw Kyei.
The Presiding Officer of the polling station, Miss Gladys Afeletey, said voting started at exactly 7am with all the party agents present.
When the Daily Graphic visited the Weija MA JHS polling station at 8:30 am, 100 people had already voted.
The Presiding Officer, Mr Raymond Kwame, was impressed with the way the people conducted themselves despite the huge turnout.
He said the people started forming the queue as early as 4 am and waited till voting commenced at 7 am.
Adeline Koramoah reports that high voter turnout and anxiety marked the opening of the polls in the Ablekuma South electoral area.
The elections in the area were generally peaceful and conducted in an atmosphere of quietness. However, in some stations where voting delayed because materials could not get to the centres on time.
At some polling stations the Daily Graphic visited, pockets of struggle among voters who had queued for long hours and could not wait till it got to their turn to vote were observed. Also there were sheer excitement especially among new voters who wished to vote early and retire to their various homes.
Except for the struggle for positions in queues and anxiety on the part of voters at Pentecostal Academy at Mpoase, the general election could be described as one of the most organised elections ever to be witnessed in the area.
On the premises of the academy, voters forced their way to the compound to be able to vote early, since they had run out of patience after staying in the queue for close to six hours but as of the time this reporter was leaving the place, calm had been restored as the police came in timely to bring the situation under control. As of 11 am, more than 200 people had cast their votes out of the over 2000 voters registered. In an interview the Presiding Officer for the area, Mr Stephen Kwakye, attributed the scuffle to the delay of the voting process and the late arrival of materials.
In another development, voting started at exactly 7 am at Star of the Sea Catholic Church polling station. As of 12:35 pm 361 people had voted out of the 750 voters who registered. Party agents who were at post included those of the CPP, PNC, NDC NPP and DFP. Though, there were no security personnel around, voting was peaceful.
At the Mamprobi Girls JHS polling station B, people were found in a long queue as of 5 am when this reporter got to the station. In an interview with 63-year-old Livingston Church Hill, he said he came to queue at 2:30 am, so that he could vote early to open his shop. He said “at 2:30, there was no car operating so I walked from Chorkor to that place just to exercise my franchise”. Another voter, Mr Douglas Torto, got to the station at 2:00 am and he was the third to vote. He said after voting, he would be around to monitor the process until counting took place. As of 9:00 am there were no security agents though voting was calm. Even though 1,770 people including transfer and proxy voters were expected to vote, 100 people had cast their vote as of 8: 45. At Polling Station B, 1,550 people were expected to vote. All party representatives were seen around monitoring the process keenly.
This was no different from that of Mamprobi Methodist Primary ‘B’; 1,150 eligible voters were expected to vote from that station. There were no security agents but the process was calm and peaceful. At Methodist Primary ‘A’, 1,128 voters were expected but a little over 200 had voted as of 11 am.
At Ebenezer SHS polling station, there was a long queue as people waited until it got to their turn to vote. Out of 1,495 voters, 237 had voted as at 11:45 am. This contrasted with what transpired at Dansoman SHS polling station where there was no queue as people had come and voted.
In all, voting was successful but for the transfer voters register that delayed at almost all the centres visited at in the Ablekuma South Constituency.
Boniface Ablekpe reports from Borkorborkor that turnout for yesterday’s Presidential and Parliamentary elections was very heavy at Borkorborkor junction, Ablekuma Anglican School, Anyaa last stop and Odorkor polling stations.
People started queuing as early as 3.30 a.m. at the Borkorborkor Junction. Many people carried plastic chairs and stools to the polling centre to join the queues.
Voting was orderly but the queues moved at a slow pace.
Sellers of sachet water, fruits, eggs and cooked food did brisk business.
This reporter joined the queue at about 5.30 a.m. at the Borkorborkor junction and was able to cast his votes by 2 p.m. When he was leaving the centre the queue was still very long with many doubting if they could cast their ballot before the mandatory closing time of 5 p.m.
Similar queues were also found at Ablekuma Anglican Junior High School polling centre, Anyaa Last Stop, Palas Town junction, and Odorkor.
There was only one female fire officer providing security at Borkorborkor junction and police and military patrols were quite irregular. Many were of the view that in view of the thick population at the Borkorborkor area it would have been better if the Electoral Commission had created some polling centres at Jorman and Paradise to save voters the tedium of standing in long queues and in the scorching sun.
The voting exercise in the Ga East District, which consists of Madina and Abokobi, commenced smoothly with a few drama at certain polling stations, reports Hadiza N. Billa Quansah.
At the K.B. Farms polling station at Oyarifa, a couple nearly brutalised the Presiding Officer, Madam Matilda Kwafo, simply because their names could be found in the voters register or the transfer list.
The couple, who were very furious, claimed they were asked to go to the Electoral Commission Office at Madina Abokobi to transfer their votes from Cape Coast to Oyarifa which they did. They therefore, did not understand why they would not be allowed to vote.
This brought the voting exercise to a temporary halt. However, after a heated argument they drove off and the exercise continued. As of 11:01 am more than half of the 779 registered voters had already voted and this was evident in the fullness of the ballot boxes.
Another interesting thing took place at the Teiman Roman Catholic Primary School polling station where the Chief of the town, Nii Maale Dzahani II, was prevented from casting his vote. This was because he could not provide his current Identity Card (ID card) and besides his name was not found in the voters register.
As a result, the Presiding Officer, Mrs Jemima Opoku, asked him to go and find his current ID card and bring it to enable him to exercise his franchise. With disappointment written all over his face, the chief walked away from the polling station.
At polling stations like the D/C Primary at Pantang, Daycare Centre, Akporman and Abokobi-Boi, most of the electorate had cast their vote. Therefore when the Daily Graphic got there between 11:20 am and 11:58 am security personnel, party agents and polling assistants were sitting comfortably chatting while others were having their meals.
In an interview, the Presiding Officer at Akporman, Madam Anto, who was about having lunch, said 400 names were on the voters register, however as of the time of the interview more than half had voted.
She explained that the people in that community were farmers; therefore, they queued as early as 3:00 am to vote early and went to their respective farms.
The situation at Madina township was different. In all the 20 polling stations visited most voters could not find their names in the voters register, checklist and on the transfer list. The Daily Graphic chanced upon two youngsters who just turned 18 and were almost in tears simply because their dream of voting for the first time could not materialised.
According to them, they left their homes at Spintex as early as 4:00 am to Madina to vote only to find out that their names did not appear on the registration list. The young girls, who are immediate past students of the Action Progressive Institute, said, ’’We registered at the Madina Police Station during the registration exercise. It is therefore unbelievable that we can’t find our names at the two centres situated at the Madina Police Station. Unfortunately, we were directed to go to Jako Cinema, Methodist Church and the SDA School to find our names but we couldn’t find it,” they lamented.
As of the time of going to press there were hundreds of people standing in long and winding queues waiting to vote at the Riz Hotel temporary booth, Social Welfare School, Jamcol near Maye Hot, Jako Cinema, Faith Community Baptist, Madina Estates Primary and JSS, PRESEC Primary, Central Mosque at Madina Zongo Junction and Madina Police Station polling stations.
Apart from the Jamcol polling station, all the rest mentioned had two stations thus Centre A and B, which were all crowded.
The number of people expected to vote at Social Welfare A and B centres were 584 and 1886 respectively. At the Madina Police Station, 2043 people were expected to vote while Madina Estate JSS had 1089 names on their list. Faith Community Baptist had 1435 registered voters at Centre A while Centre B had 1262 and 16 additional transfers.
Only two people contested for the parliamentary seat for Madina Abokobi. They are the sitting MP, Alhaji Amadu Sorogho of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and Baba Zakaria of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
At most of the polling stations visited party agents for the NDC and the NPP were represented while the rest were conspicuously missing.
Naa Lamiley Bentil reports from the Saviour International School polling station in the Ablekuma South Constituency that more than 200 voters had queued up as of 8:20 a.m.
The place was calm and serene in spite of the fact that some of the electorate got to the station as early as 2:00 a.m. and had still not voted at about 8:20 am due to the unavailability of election materials.
According to one voter, Mr James Titus Glover, he got to the station at 5:00 a.m and was 50th in the queue.
At Burma Camp, which is under the Dade Kotopon Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, officers and men of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) who could not vote on December 2, 2008 and their families thronged polling stations to cast their ballots, reports Mabel Aku Baneseh.
There was a long queue in most of the polling stations before 7.00 a.m., the designated time for the polls.
Voters at the El-Wak Barracks, Cantonments Post Office, Du-Bois Centre and Burma Hall polling stations patiently waited for their turn while their colleagues cast their ballots.
No incidents were recorded in all the polling stations because voters exercised a great sense of decorum during the ballots.
Majority of voters had cast their ballots as of 11.00 a.m. thereby allowing other voters who visited the polling stations after 11.00 a.m. to cast their ballots without joining any queue.

Two lawyers attack reporters in court

Friday, November 28, 2008 (Page 54)

TWO young male lawyers yesterday caused a stir at the newly designated Human Rights Court in Accra, when they threw all courtesies to the dogs and verbally attacked some reporters covering a case in the court.
The reporters were covering the case in which three lawyers have dragged the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) to court for demanding the resignation of the former national President of the GBA, Nii Osah Mills.
While lawyers for the GBA and the plaintiffs, Messrs Ace Ankomah and Mr Kwabla Senanu, were busily arguing their case, the young lawyers were also busily ‘manhandling’ two female reporters from the Ghana News Agency (GNA) and the Daily Graphic.
The judge, Mr Justice U. Y. Dery, a High Court Judge, was also busily taking down notes when the incident occurred at the gallery reserved for the public and, for that reason, did not witness the bizarre event.
It all started when one of the lawyers, whose name was given only as Gyau, entered the packed-to-capacity courtroom with a female colleague and ordered a reporter from the Atlantis Radio to get up for him (Gyau) to sit down.
The reporter, who even though did know he had the right to sit on that seat, got up and allowed Gyau to sit down.
Gyau then turned to the GNA reporter and blurted “stand up” apparently to enable his female colleague to take her seat.
The reporter, who had earlier vacated a seat for another lawyer under similar circumstance, looked at the lawyer in bewilderment.
The Daily Graphic reporter, who was by then witnessing the unfair manner in which her colleague was being treated, informed the lawyer that it was not decent to rudely order the GNA reporter to vacate her seat, especially when the seats were reserved for the public.
Gyau got angry, pointed accusing fingers and asked the Daily Graphic reporter what right she had to question his authority as a lawyer and there and then began using unprintable words on her.
The Daily Graphic reporter, who remained unperturbed and demanded to know why her colleague should be treated in such a demeaning manner, had the shock of her life when a plump-looking young lawyer with fat cheeks tapped her on the right shoulder several times from behind. His heckling was followed with a stream of insults and questioning why she should question his “learned” colleague.
The GNA reporter left the courtroom to avoid being heckled, while the two male lawyers launched verbal attacks on the Daily Graphic reporter, who was by then taking down notes of the court’s proceedings.
The trial judge was at the time not privy to what was happening because he was caught up in the heated arguments between lawyers for the GBA and the plaintiffs.
Nevertheless, the Daily Graphic reporter ignored the two lawyers whose female colleague sat in the GNA reporter’s seat without any regrets.
Senior lawyers, including Nana Ato Dadzie, Mr Chris Arcmann-Ackumey, Mr Ace Ankomah, Mr Frank Davies, Mr Peter Zwennes and Mr Kwabla Senanu, who heard of the incident after the court’s proceedings, unreservedly apologised to the reporters for being treated with such disdain.
Two hours before the incident, a senior male lawyer, whose name was given only as Dzakpasu, had ordered all reporters in the courtroom to vacate their seats to enable lawyers to sit down at the public gallery.
As if that was not enough, some lawyers in the courtroom pointed accusing fingers at the GNA reporter that she was recording the court’s proceedings.
Another lawyer, however, owned up and said he was recording the court’s proceedings with his tape recorder. A court clerk then seized the recorder.
The plaintiffs, Nana Ato Dadzie, Mr Chris Arcmann-Ackumey and Mr James Abiaduka, are praying the court to declare that comments which were purported to have been made by Nii Mills, which bordered on the incarceration of Tsatsu Tsikata, were “lawful comments made in his legitimate position as national president of the association”.
They are, therefore, praying the court to declare as illegal the demand and the request of the GBA on Nii Mills to resign his position as national president.
The plaintiffs have, meanwhile, filed a motion on notice for an order of interlocutory injunction to restrain the GBA from holding fresh elections to elect a national president until the final determination of the matter.
The GBA, in its statement of defence, has denied ever coercing Nii Mills to resign.
According to the GBA, at its Bar conference in Kumasi on October 30, 2008, Nii Mills, on his own volition, read out a written statement he had prepared himself to the conference to announce his resignation from office.
It said Nii Mills voluntarily withdrew his nomination and apologised for whatever harm he might have caused the association.
The court has fixed December 4, 2008 to rule on the motion for interlocutory injunction.

Goodies sentenced to 13yrs imprisonment

November 26, 2008 (Page 3 Lead)

THE Accra Circuit Court on November 25,2008 sentenced Isaac Abeidu Aidoo, alias Goodies, to 13 years imprisonment after finding him guilty for a narcotic offence.
Goodies, who is the Managing Director of Goodies Music Productions, swallowed 80 pellets of cocaine and attempted to smuggle them to the United Kingdom on April 23, 2008 but he was arrested at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
He pleaded for leniency halfway through his defence, amidst a stream of tears, at the court’s sitting in Accra.
“I am pleading with the court to give me mercy. I have a young family and I am sorry for disappointing my family,” he told the court.
With tears flowing down his face while in the dock, Goodies, a father of three, looked in his wife’s direction, pleaded for mercy and told the court, presided over by Mr Mahamadu Iddrisu, that he was not a drug dealer.
“I am a very humble person and not a drug dealer. I have never involved myself in drugs. I do not smoke nor drink, so how on earth would I put myself in such trouble? I did not know what I was carrying,” Goodies stated, amidst uncontrollable tears.
The court took into account the fact that he was a first offender and sentenced him to 13 years each on two counts of possession of narcotic drugs without authority and attempting to export narcotic drugs without licence. The sentences are to run concurrently.
The prosecution closed its case on November 20, 2008 and that prompted the court to adjourn to yesterday, November 26, 2008 to enable Goodies to either open his defence or make a submission of ‘no case’.
Goodies, who was arrested at the KIA on April 23, 2008, opened his defence after the prosecution and the defence counsel had announced themselves to the court.
According to Goodies, a spiritualist friend of his, by name Willie, who lived in London asked him (Goodies) to bring something which the spiritualist said was for spiritual purposes and for that matter nobody should see what the thing was.
He said Willie promised to pay him £3,000 if he managed to successfully bring that ‘something’, which he (Goodies) did not specify throughout his defence, to London.
The convict explained that he did not bother to find out what that thing was because he was motivated by the £3,000 which had been promised him.
Goodies explained that he was at the time of the trip raising funds in London and other parts of the world for Ghana’s delegation to the Beijing Olympic Games on behalf of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC).
He further stated that he agreed to send the thing to the spiritualist but did not state the mode through which he carried it.
Goodies told the court that on that fateful day, NACOB officials stopped him and informed him that they suspected him of carrying narcotic drugs.
He said he denied the claim and demanded an examination to be conducted on him, as a result of which he was taken to the 37 Military Hospital for X-ray examination.
The convict said he was later told that he had foreign materials in his stomach, adding that NACOB officials took him to their offices where he expelled the pellets of cocaine he had swallowed.
According to him, he was shocked when NACOB officials later informed him that the substances he had expelled tested positive for cocaine at the Ghana Standards Board (GSB).
At that point, his countenance changed and he began pleading for leniency while looking in his wife’s direction.
His counsel, Mr Oliver Atsu, expressed the defence team’s regret for the delay it had caused in the trial and pleaded for mercy on behalf of his client.
He said Goodies had three children, including twins aged six, as well as a three-year-old, adding that his client had co-operated throughout the trial.
Counsel further stated that Goodies had produced famous musicians like Mzbel, Tic Tac, Nana Quame, 2Face Idibia, among many others, in addition to running a non-governmental organisation committed to the fight against HIV/AIDS.
The court said the defence had been straightforward and stated that it had taken into account the convict’s track record.

Owner of Anyaa warehouse appears in court

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 (Back Page Lead)

THE owner of the warehouse which caught fire and resulted in the death of seven persons was yesterday granted bail in the sum of GH¢100,000 with two sureties to be justified.
On November 17, 2008, around 6.30 pm, the warehouse, which is situated at Anyaa, a suburb of Accra and was said to contain explosives and fire crackers popularly known as ‘knockout’, caught fire and in the process killed seven persons and injured several others.
Janet Akani Sarbah, 40, a trader who deals in toys and explosives, is expected to reappear before the court on December 3, 2008.
Janet, who was accompanied by her husband and a large crowd of family members and sympathisers, left the court premises in tears after she was granted bail.
According to her counsel, Mr Frank Davies, Janet collapsed upon hearing of the incident and it took 24 hours to revive her, adding that his client reported to the police immediately after she was revived.
Mr Davies applied for bail after the prosecution had declined to take Janet’s plea on the grounds that the docket on the case had been forwarded to the Attorney-General’s Department for advice.
An Assistant Commissioner of the Police, Ms Elizabeth Allandu, had prayed the court to remand the accused person because the docket had been forwarded to the Attorney-General’s Department for advice.
However, Mr Davies opposed the prosecution’s application and insisted that his client’s plea should be taken on the grounds that the charge of importation of firearms without lawful authority was a misdemeanour.
The trial judge, Mr C. A. Wilson, reminded counsel that the police had the mandate to refer matters to the Attorney-General’s Department for advice to which counsel conceded but insisted that such mandate should not be used capriciously.
His insistence resulted in the prosecution presenting the facts of the case, which said on November 17, 2008, the accused person instructed her workers to load some of the fire crackers into a vehicle to be sent to a customer in Kumasi.
According to the prosecution, there was power outage in the area at the time and for that reason the workers decided to use naked lights, which caused the heavy explosion that resulted in the loss of lives and caused injuries to several others.
ACP Allandu told the court that four of the injured were in critical condition at the Korle-Bu Teaching and 37 Military hospitals, adding that investigations were underway to ascertain when and how the explosives were imported into the country.
She said the items had been banned and for that reason the police were investigating how she got the licence to import them.
Replying, Mr Davies said the defence had been handicapped in applying for bail because the prosecution had declined to take his client’s plea.
He, nevertheless, sought permission from the court and moved his motion for bail, which stated among others that his client was a mother of four who had dealt in fire crackers and Christmas toys for the past 10 years.
He said it was unfortunate lives had been lost as a result of the explosion and expressed his client’s condolence to the bereaved families.
According to him, his client had been traumatised by the disaster and had since been suffering from hypertension.
According to him, what happened was not due to negligence on the part of his client and further assured the court that his client would co-operate with the police when granted bail.
Mr Davies further stated that the accused person, who reported to the police voluntarily had been in custody since Tuesday, November 18, 2008 and for that reason would fully co-operate with the police when granted bail.
Counsel further argued that the charges preferred against his client qualified for bail and stated that in any case, the police were currently guarding the remaining items, including the burnt warehouse of the accused person.
He prayed the court not to allow itself to be put under undue pressure by the media, adding that his client had not committed any heinous crime because she had a lawful permit to build those warehouses among others.

I expelled 80 pellets of cocaine • Goodies confesses

Friday, November 21, 2008 (Page 3 Lead)

ISAAC Abeidu Aidoo, alias Goodies, the Managing Director of Goodies Music Productions who is standing trial for a narcotic offence, yesterday admitted that different people supervised him while he expelled 80 pellets of cocaine he had swallowed.
Goodies, who took two days to expel the pellets through his anus, made the admission when his counsel showed a sheet of paper which indicated the date and times he expelled the drugs to him for verification.
The accused person further admitted that he was among the people who signed the sheet of paper, compelling his counsel, Mr Oliver Atsu, to withdraw his earlier objection to the tendering of the sheet of paper in evidence.
The incident occurred when the investigator in the case, Detective Sergeant Hans Addai, was giving his evidence-in-chief in the case in which Goodies has pleaded not guilty to the possession of narcotic drugs without authority.
Goodies, who is on remand, is alleged to have swallowed 80 pellets of cocaine and attempted to smuggle them to the United Kingdom on April 23, 2008 but he was arrested at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
Led in evidence by Mr Paul Assibi Abariga, an Assistant State Attorney, Sgt Addai said Goodies took two days to expel the drugs.
According to the investigator, he sealed the expelled drugs in a brown envelope in the presence of Goodies and an independent witness, adding that he (investigator), Goodies and the independent witness appended their signatures on the envelope.
He further explained that Goodies fingerprinted the envelope, in addition to his signature. Goodies admitted doing the signing and fingerprinting when he was asked to identify the envelope, which was also tendered in evidence.
The investigator informed the court that the sealed brown envelope which contained the expelled substances was later forwarded to the Ghana Standards Board (GSB) for examination.
He said a report signed by K. Acheampong, the Director in charge of the Testing Division of the GSB, dated June 5, 2008, and which was tendered in evidence stated that the 80 expelled pellets tested positive for cocaine.
Sgt Addai said Goodies had told him that a musician by name Abdul Hamid had given him the drugs to be given to someone by name Willie for a fee of £3,000.
He informed the court that Goodies later took officials from the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) to East Legon to apprehend Hamid but he could not be traced.
The investigator told the court, during cross-examination by counsel for Goodies, that Goodies was handed over to him, together with his Ghanaian passport and a bag containing his personal belongings.
He also stated that Goodies was detained by NACOB officials until he finished expelling the drugs.
After the cross-examination of the investigator, the prosecution announced that it had closed its case.
The trial judge, Mr Mahamadu Iddrisu, then ordered the destruction of the seized drugs in the presence of court officials, the prosecution, the defence and the media.
Goodies is expected to either make a submission of ‘no case’ or open his defence on Wednesday, November 26, 2008.

Media's interest in Goodies case unusual - Counsel

Thursday, November 20,2008 (Page 3 Lead)

COUNSEL for Isaac Abeidu Aidoo, alias Goodies, the Managing Director of Goodies Music Productions, who is standing trial for a narcotic offence, yesterday expressed concern over what he termed the media's "unusual interest" in his client's case.
Goodies, who is on remand, is alleged to have swallowed 80 pellets of cocaine and attempted to smuggle them to the United Kingdom on April 23, 2008 but he was arrested at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
And, according to his counsel, Mr Oliver Atsu, Goodies’s blood pressure went up anytime his case was published in the media.
He made particular reference to media publications which indicated that he (counsel) and Goodies had been absent in court on the last adjourned date.
Counsel, accordingly, prayed the media, through the court, to give his client some respite.
However, the trial judge, Mr Mahamadu Iddrisu, held another view and stated that the media were doing their work.
He said the media must be commended because they were necessary partners in the administration of justice.
"I do not want to believe they are doing selective or discriminatory reportage. Ask your client to take it easy," the judge said, adding, "So long as the stories are unbiased, the media must be allowed to do their work."
He further explained that Goodies and his counsel had been absent on November 12, 2008, the last adjourned date, because of the investigator's inability to bring the accused person to court.
Later, Messrs Jerry John Kwasi Abbiw and Benjamin Kingsley Dadzie, both officials of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), testified and stated that they had been on duty at the KIA when Goodies was arrested.
According to Mr Abbiw, on April 23, 2008, he was on duty at the KIA Central Screening Point and spotted Goodies going through departure formalities.
Led by an Assistant State Attorney, Mr Paul Assibi Abariga, to give his evidence-in-chief, Mr Abbiw said he invited Goodies for questioning when the accused reached the Central Screening Point, adding that when he was not satisfied with Goodies’s answers to his questions, he decided to conduct a urine test on the accused.
He said he took Goodies to the washroom but Goodies could not produce urine for the test, for which reason he (Mr Abbiw) suggested that an x-ray should be conducted on Goodies.
Mr Abbiw told the court that he then handed Goodies over to his commander, who in turn handed Goodies over to two other officials for an X-ray examination at the 37 Military Hospital.
He denied a suggestion from counsel for Goodies during cross-examination that his commander lied when he (commander) told the court that Mr Abbiw had been part of the team that took Goodies to the 37 Military Hospital.
Mr Abbiw explained that he (Mr Abbiw) arrested five persons on the day Goodies was arrested and in the process took some of the arrested persons to the hospital for an X-ray and that might have led to his boss' mix up.
For his part, Mr Dadzie said his commander had instructed him and his colleague, by name Ishaq Bakure, to send Goodies to the 37 Military Hospital for an X-ray.
He explained that the first X-ray had been inconclusive, resulting in the request for a second X-ray which revealed that Goodies had foreign materials in his stomach.
He told the court during cross-examination that he had been present when the X-ray was conducted on the accused person.
Hearing continues today.

'Osah Mills wasn't coerced to resign'

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 (Page 3 Lead)

THE Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has denied ever coercing its former national president, Nii Osah Mills, to resign.
According to the GBA, at its Bar conference in Kumasi on October 30, 2008, Nii Mills on his own volition read out a written statement he had prepared himself to the conference to announce his resignation from office.
It said in his statement, Nii Mills also withdrew his nomination and apologised for whatever harm he might have caused the association.
In its statement of defence in response to a writ filed by three members of the association who accused the National Executive Committee (NEC) of demanding the resignation of Nii Osah Mills, the GBA said it had not breached the Constitution.
Nana Ato Dadzie, Mr Chris Arcmann-Ackumey and Mr James Abiaduka are praying the court to declare that comments which were purported to have been made by Nii Mills which bordered on the incarceration of Tsatsu Tsikata were “lawful comments made in his legitimate position as national president of the association”.
They, therefore, prayed the court to declare as illegal the demand and the request of the NEC on Nii Mills to resign his position as national president.
Nii Mills was reported to have visited Tsikata, the former Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) who is serving a five-year jail term, at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison and expressed his misgivings about the circumstances leading to Tsikata’s incarceration.
Following the announcement of his resignation by the NEC of the GBA, fresh nominations were received for his position but the three lawyers filed a suit at the Accra High Court praying the court to declare Nii Mills as the sole and valid nominee for the position of national president for the 2009 election.
But the GBA insisted that Nii Osah Mills resigned after he admitted that he had caused embarrassment to members of the GBA based on the comments he had passed regarding Tsikata’s incarceration on a private radio station.
“The defendant says that on the basis of those admissions, the General Council requested Nii Osah Mills to resign from his position as national president of the defendant, having considered that these statements he made were prejudicial to matters then pending for adjudication before the Supreme Court and constituted gross misconduct,” the statement of defence pointed out.
The defendant further denied that it had infringed on the constitutional rights of Nii Mills by mounting an intense and unreasonable pressure on him to step down as President of the GBA.
According to the GBA, Nana Dadzie and Mr Abiaduka were not qualified to institute the action because they were “not members in good standing as at the date of their alleged cause of action occurred having only paid their dues for the period 2000 and 2007 to 2008 respectively on November 4, 2008, the day they filed this action.”
The GBA said the action by the plaintiffs had no basis in law and for that matter it was wholly misconceived and completely erroneous and ought to be dismissed by the court.
The three plaintiffs have meanwhile filed a motion on notice for an order of interlocutory injunction to restrain the NEC or its agents from holding a fresh election to elect a national president on November 15, 2008 or on any other date until the final determination of the case.
Following the institution of the suit, the defendant has suspended the holding of elections to elect a national president until the final determination of the suit.
It has, however, appointed an acting president, Mr Kwami Tetteh.
Earlier, counsel for the parties argued in the name of one of its past on procedural matters and accused each other of not following laid down procedures.
Counsel for the plaintiffs, Mr Kwabla Senanu, had argued that solicitors for the GBA did not have licences to operate as well as had short served him with the statement of defence and affidavit in opposition among others.?????
However, counsel for the GBA, Mr Ace Ankomah, said his colleague’s arguments were misplaced and not based on issues of law and also accused the plaintiffs of not providing their residential addresses on their writ of summons as required by law.
Another counsel for the defendant, Mr C. B. K. Zwennes, argued that there was no rule which required solicitors to state their licence numbers, adding that the plaintiffs had committed grave procedural errors for which the court must move to strike out their motion.
After lengthy and sometimes heated arguments on procedural matters from both sides, the court fixed November 27, 2008 as the date for hearing the motion for interlocutory injunction.
In the substantive writ, the plaintiffs are also praying the court to declare as illegal the purported nullification of Nii Mills’ nomination for the office of national president.

Businessman in court for fraud

Tuesday, November 18, 2008 (Page 34)

AN Accra-based businessman is alleged to have duped three foreign nationals, including a Reverend Minister, to the tune of GH¢513,628 under the pretext of securing them diplomatic appointments in two of Ghana's consulates abroad.
Nana Yaw Apea-Dankwa was alleged to have collected the money from Reverend Habil Bolin, Sture Abrahamsson and Oleksandr Chemenko with the promise that he would use it to influence government officials to facilitate their appointment as consulates in Sweden and Finland.
Apea-Dankwa, who communicated with his victims through the Internet, sent letters purported to have been signed by officials at the Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs as part of his efforts to convince them to send money to him.
He was arraigned before the Accra Circuit Court yesterday, charged with defrauding by false pretences.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded to reappear on November 26, 2008 to enable the police to complete investigations into the matter.
According to the prosecution, a lawyer lodged a complaint with the police on behalf of his clients who were all living abroad and who had been duped by the accused person over the past eight years.
The facts of the case were that the accused person got in touch with the victims through the Internet some time in 2000 and after chatting with them on several occasions, he promised to get them employed as Ghana’s consulates in Sweden and Finland.
Apea-Dankwa allegedly managed to send letters purported to have been signed by government officials to his victims who got convinced in the process.
They allegedly began sending money to the accused person, who said he would use the money to convince the authorities to get them employed.
In the course of the communication, the victims allegedly sent $172,676, GH¢75,278 and 154,338 Euros to the accused person.
After several years of communication, the victims realised the accused person was in no position to assist them to get the diplomatic appointments.
They, accordingly, got in touch with their lawyer who subsequently reported the matter to the police.
Investigations led to the arrest of the accused who had then fled his matrimonial home and had sought refuge at a house in Tesano, Accra.
Investigations are ongoing.

3 Lawyers drag GBA to court

Saturday, November 15, 2008 (Page 3 Lead)

THREE lawyers have dragged the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) to court for demanding the resignation of the former national President of the GBA, Nii Osah Mills.
The three are praying the court to declare that the demand and the request of the NEC on Nii Mills to resign his position as national president were illegal and contrary to law.
According to the lawyers, although Nii Mills had not formally put his purported resignation into writing, the defendant association, spearheaded by some members of the NEC, had undoubtedly “executed a coup” purporting to have ousted Nii Mills from his democratically elected office as national president.
Nana Ato Dadzie, Mr Chris Arcmann-Ackumey and Mr James Abiaduka are also praying the court to declare that comments which were purported to have been made by Nii Mills which bordered on the incarceration of Tsatsu Tsikata were “lawful comments made in his legitimate position as national president of the association”.
“The comments by the national president were not only responsible but also within the permitted limits of law relating to the right of the public to and the freedom of speech generally,” the plaintiffs argued.
Nii Mills was reported to have visited Tsikata, the former Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) who is facing a five-year jail term, at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison and expressed his misgivings about the circumstances leading to Tsikata’s incarceration.
Following the announcement of his resignation by the NEC of the GBA, fresh nominations were received for his position but the three lawyers filed a suit at the Accra High Court praying the court to declare Nii Mills as the sole and valid nominee for the position of national president for the 2009 election.
According to the plaintiffs, the defendant had infringed on the constitutional rights of Nii Mills on the grounds that the defendant mounted an intense and unreasonable pressure on Nii Mills to step down as President of the GBA on September 30, 2008, a day before the opening of the bar conference in Kumasi.
“In the face of the said verbal harassment, threats and duress, the National President, Nii Mills, out of frustration and irritation, uttered words to the effect that he had resigned or threatened to resign from his position as National President of the defendant association,” they said.
Consequently, the three have filed a motion on notice for an order of interlocutory injunction to restrain the NEC or its agents from holding a fresh election to elect a national president on November 15, 2008 or on any other date until the final determination of the case.
The motion on notice for an order of interlocutory injunction would be moved on November 18, 2008.
In the substantive writ, the plaintiffs are also praying the court to declare as illegal the purported nullification of Nii Mills’s nomination for the office of national president.
They are further appealing to the court to state that the call for fresh nominations for the office of the national president after the close of nominations was illegal and contrary to the constitution of the GBA.
A statement of case accompanying the plaintiffs’ writ stated, among others, that the defendant did not have power or authority to demand or compel the duly elected national president to resign or vacate his post as national president.
According to the plaintiffs, the purported removal and declaration of the position was illegal and contrary to the constitution of the defendant association, adding that the action of the defendant breached the rules of natural justice, as well as constituted a breach or violation of the fundamental human rights of Nii Mills.
Plaintiffs further stated that the decision, conduct and actions of the Bar Council/General Council of the defendant association was undemocratic and contrary to the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and the same must be struck down as such.
“Plaintiffs will contend that, in any case, the purported grounds on which the NEC of the defendant association demanded the resignation of the plaintiff as national president was illegal and insupportable at law,” the statement of case pointed out.
The plaintiffs averred that Nii Mills and some members of the NEC had been mandated by the NEC, together with the national executives, to visit Tsikata, a senior member of the GBA.
They further stated that Nii Mills was obliged to respond to media enquiries relating to matters of interest to the GBA.
According to the plaintiffs, Nii Mills had made certain comments on the case involving Tsikata’s incarceration in his capacity as the National President of the GBA.
“The national president's comments were regular and a fair and lawful comment on a trial that had been concluded involving the said incarcerated member,” the statement of claim stated, among others.

Goodies, counsel absent in court

Thursday, November 13, 2008 (Page 3 Lead)

THE Managing Director of Goodies Music Productions, Isaac Abeidu Aidoo, who is standing trial for a narcotic offence was absent when his case was called at the Circuit Court in Accra yesterday.
The accused person, who has been remanded in prison custody, is alleged to have swallowed 80 pellets of cocaine and attempted to smuggle them to the United Kingdom on April 23, 2008, but was arrested at the Kotoka International Airport.
His counsel was also absent.
No reasons were assigned to the court for their absence.
When the matter was called for hearing, an Assistant State Attorney, Mr Paul Assibi Abariga, announced himself and said the prosecution was ready to continue with the case.
However, Goodies was nowhere in sight and as such the trial judge, Mr Mahamadu Iddrisu, had to enquire about his whereabouts.
A prison officer informed the court that he did not know why the accused person was not brought.
The officer further explained that his senior colleague, who was at that particular moment at the Fast Track High Court, would be in a position to state why the accused person was not brought.
The court then stood the case down and allowed the prison officer to go outside and enquire about the whereabouts of Goodies from his senior colleague.
After waiting for more than 30 minutes, the court had to adjourn the case to November 19, 2008 to enable the prosecutor to attend to other cases in other courts.
The trial judge, who had earlier in the trial expressed his misgivings on the failure of prison officers to produce the accused person in court on two occasions expressed the hope that Goodies would be produced on the next adjourned date.
He said the case had had a chequered history and stated for instance that there had been seven adjournments without any development since the last prosecution witness testified.
According to Mr Abariga, Goodies’ counsel had for three consecutive hearings absented himself without any reason, adding that the prosecution witnesses were ready to testify on a day to day basis.
A third prosecution witness is expected to testify at the next adjourned date.
Goodies, on July 8, 2008, pleaded not guilty to the possession of narcotics and the court has since remanded him in prison custody.
According to the prosecution, about 10.45 p.m. on April 23, this year, when Goodies arrived at the KIA to board a Ghana International Airlines flight to London, operatives of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) suspected him of carrying drugs in his stomach.
Goodies was, therefore, escorted to the 37 Military Hospital for an X-ray, which revealed that he had some foreign materials in his stomach.
He was subsequently arrested and put under surveillance and, in the process, he expelled 80 pellets of a whitish substance suspected to be cocaine.
Goodies informed the police during interrogation that one Abdul Haid, a musician residing at East Legon, Accra, had given him the drugs to be delivered to one Willie for a fee of $3,000.

Lotto operators appeal against court's decision

Tuesday, November 11, 2008 (Page 31)

THE Ghana Lotto Operators Association (GLOA) and six others are challenging the Accra Fast Track High Court’s refusal to stay the execution of its judgement which outlawed private lotto operations in the country at the Court of Appeal.
According to the appellants, their appeal against the ban on private lotto operations in the country had good grounds of success and for that matter they would suffer irreparable loss if the court’s ruling was not stayed.
“The refusal of the instant application will render over 500,000 people jobless when no compensation has been made available to cater for their redundancy,” an application for injunction pending the determination of the appellants’ appeal stated.
The GLOA and the six others, namely, Obiri Asare and Sons Limited, Rambel Enterprises Limited, Dan Multipurpose Trading Enterprise Limited, Agrop Association Limited, Star Lotto Limited and From-Home Enterprises, filed the application at the Court of Appeal following the refusal of the Fast Track High Court to stay execution of its earlier judgement.
In its ruling on November 4, 2008, the court, presided over by Mr Justice K. A. Ofori-Atta, said the appellants were not able to assert their right to the law of equity.
The appellants had maintained that their rights to free market activity had been impinged upon by the National Lottery Authority (NLA) following the passage of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) Act 2006, Act 722.
They, accordingly, filed for stay of execution of the court's decision pending the determination of an appeal against the banning of their operations but the court, after carefully studying the application, dismissed it.
“The dismissal of the earlier application is wrong, improper and ultra vires,” the appellants pointed out and, accordingly, prayed the Court of Appeal to “restrain the respondents from interfering with the work or property rights of the appellants pending the determination of the appeal”.
The appellants had sought to question the constitutionality of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) Act 2006, Act 722, and, therefore, prayed for a declaration that the directive from the NLA to private lotto operators to surrender machines or equipment used for the operation of lottery to the director-general by August 14, 2007 was unconstitutional, illegal and unreasonable.
But the court held otherwise.
The appellants stated in their motion for stay of execution that the judgement banning their operation was "wrong in law and an improper exercise of discretion”.
According to the plaintiffs, "the subsequent dismissal of our action raises serious questions of law and fact, which will have to be considered by the appellate court".
The Fast Track High Court’s judgement banning private lotto followed an application by the NLA, which prayed the court to dismiss the plaintiffs’ suit on the premise that the Supreme Court had declared the Lotto Act constitutional and, for that reason, there was no basis for the substantive suit to continue at the lower court.

Council settles differences on Hajj

Saturday, November 8, 2008 (Page 3 - Mirror)

THE National Hajj Council (NHC) has settled its differences on the organisation of this year’s Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca with the Office of the Vice-President and the National Chief Imam.
Following the agreement among the parties, the NHC will not organise this year’s Hajj, an issue over which it sued the Office of the Vice-President, the National Chief Imam, Alhaji Lumuna Mohammed Muniru of the Ministry of Health and Dr Alhaji Abdul-Wahab Alhassan of the Office of the Vice-President.
The other defendants in the case are Sheik Yunus Osman Mohammed of the Pathology Department of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and Alhaji Osman Kadri English of the Office of the Chief Imam.
The agreement among the parties resulted from an intervention by some Muslim elders who took steps to resolve the matter out of court.
At the Accra Fast Track High Court sitting, a Muslim elder, Alhaji Asuma Banda, informed the court, “I have managed to get the matter settled.”
According to him, all the parties in the case had met at the Chief Imam’s house last Sunday night where it was agreed that the matter should be withdrawn from court.
“I am happy I managed to get the parties to listen to me,” Alhaji Banda, a shipping magnate, told the court.
However, counsel for the NHC, Mr Bright Akwetey, explained that an issue which was still outstanding at the Accra Fast Track High Court concerned the body which had the mandate to organise the Hajj pilgrimage in the country, after the government had handed over the organisation of the pilgrimage in 2005.
He explained that the only aspect of the case which his clients had withdrawn was a prayer for an order of perpetual injunction to restrain the offices of the Vice-President and the National Chief Imam from interfering in the 2008 operations of the Hajj in Ghana.
The plaintiffs had also withdrawn a request for the court to order both offices and the defendants to hand over all arrangements made for the 2008 Hajj to the NHC.
The court, presided over by Mr Justice K. A. Ofori-Atta, then enquired why Mr Akwetey was insisting that there were aspects of the case to be resolved in court.
Replying, Alhaji Banda said, “So far as I am concerned, the case is settled. The Chief Imam has accepted all of us as his children.”
Not satisfied with the explanation, the court directed the parties to draft the said agreement and furnish it with it.
The matter was, accordingly, adjourned to December 1, 2008.
Alhaji English expressed his gratitude to Alhaji Banda for his intervention.
Among the reliefs being sought by the NHC is an order for perpetual injunction to restrain the Office of the National Chief Imam and the defendants from interfering in the activities of the NHC.
In a statement of claim, the NHC is also seeking a declaration by the court that it is the sole and legitimate body charged with the responsibility to organise the Hajj by the Muslim community in Ghana.
The writ, filed on October 2, 2008, is further seeking a declaration that the Interim Hajj Management Committee (IHMC) does not have the mandate of the Muslim community in Ghana to organise Hajj operations, among other reliefs.

Fund not earmarked for individuals - Nicol

Thursday, November 6, 2008 (Page 54)

THE Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), Mr Joshua Magnus Nicol, has stated that two per cent of the Common Fund earmarked for persons with disabilities is not for individual use.
He said reports from the District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies indicated that individuals were demanding the release of the fund and stressed that the fund was "allocated for groups and not individuals who suffer from disabilities".
According to him, the law governing the fund entrusted his outfit to release the amount due persons with disabilities to district assemblies for onward release to the Ghana Federation of the Disabled after the latter had presented a proposal on projects earmarked for its members.
He said without any proposal, the assemblies could not release money to the federation.
Reacting to concerns of some disabled persons on the release of the funds, Mr Nicol told the Daily Graphic that he had not received any official complaint from members of the federation.
He said he only got to know through the media that the federation was having problems with some district assemblies on the release of funds.
He, therefore, stated that his doors were open for discussions with members of the Ghana Federation of the Disabled for solution to their challenges.
Mr Nicol explained that his outfit, representatives from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Ghana Federation of the Disabled and the Institute of Local Government Studies met and discussed how the federation could access the funds from the districts.
He said it was agreed at the meeting that the federation would work with districts in organising persons with disabilities into groups to access funds allocated to districts.
He further explained that it was also suggested to the federation to appoint three representative to work with the Social Services Committees in each district to champion their interests.
Mr Nicol said at the meeting, it was also agreed that the groups should submit their proposals to the district assemblies through the Social Services Committees for action.
He said, "As at now, I cannot tell whether or not they have followed our suggestions. I only hear of their complaints through the media," adding that "no one has officially sent any complaint to my outfit for action".
Mr Nicol further stated that the federation should get in touch with his outfit for immediate action, if its members had followed the laid down guidelines but were still facing problems.
He commended persons with disabilities at Oda for forming groups to benefit from the fund, which is aimed at improving their livelihoods.
He disclosed that the third quarter Common Fund was yet to be released to the District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies in the country.
According to him, there had been an impressive improvement in sanitation at the various districts since the DACF adopted the sanitation component of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP).

Private lotto remains outlawed

Wednesday, November 5, 2008 (Page 3 Lead)

THE Accra Fast Track High Court on Tuesday, November 4,2008 refused to stay the execution of its judgement which outlawed private lotto operations in the country.
In its ruling, the court, presided over by Mr Justice K. A. Ofori-Atta, said “the plaintiffs were not able to assert their right to the law of equity”.
The Ghana Lotto Operators Association (GLOA) and six others had asserted that their rights to free market activity had been impinged upon by the National Lottery Authority (NLA) following the passage of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) Act 2006, Act 722.
The plaintiffs filed for stay of execution of the court's decision pending the determination of an appeal against the banning of their operations, but the court, after carefully studying the application, dismissed it.
The decision was preceded by hot verbal exchanges between counsel for the plaintiffs, Mr Aurelius Awuku and counsel for the defendants, Mr Kizito Beyuo.
According to Mr Awuku, his clients were not aware the matter had been transferred from Mr Justice Edward Asante’s court to Mr Justice Ofori-Atta’s court and insisted that the proper thing must be done.
While Mr Awuku maintained that the matter was not properly laid before the court and insinuated that his colleague had seen to the transfer of the case from the court where it was originally laid, Mr Beyuo thought otherwise and accused his colleague of using populist tactics to win a lost battle.
According to him, his clients were not against Mr Ofori-Atta hearing the case, but they wanted the proper thing to be done and further prayed the court to wash its hands off the case.
Mr Beyuo expressed concern about the plaintiffs’ attitude and insisted “the first thing you should have done was to enquire about what happened before making wild allegations”, and insisted his colleague apologised to him for making wild allegations.
He explained that the matter was initially before Mr Justice Asante as a vacation judge and not as a substantive judge, but Mr Awuku insisted that the Registrar had no power to transfer a matter from one judge to another.
For his part, Mr Beyuo stated that the Registrar acted on the instructions of the Chief Justice, but Mr Awuku maintained that there was no order from the Chief Justice, adding “if you say there was an order, produce it”.
Mr Beyuo pleaded with Mr Awuku not to soil their friendship when Mr Awuku insinuated that Mr Beyuo had a hand in the matter being laid before Mr Justice Ofori-Atta.
“Please, do not soil our friendship. I take an exception to that statement. I demand an apology,” but Mr Awuku was indifferent.
The judge, then moved in and stated that the Registrar had informed him in his chambers that he (Registrar) was instructed to bring the matter to his (judge’s) court.
Mr Beyuo then got up again and insisted Mr Awuku should withdraw his allegations, because his reputation mattered to him more than anything else in his 15-year-old career as a lawyer.
Mr Awuku remained adamant, to which Mr Beyuo said “that is the end of our friendship”.
Mr Justice Ofori-Atta, accordingly, overruled the objection raised by Mr Awuku and maintained that his conscience was clear.
He then proceeded to dismiss the application for stay of execution of the court’s decision to outlaw operation of private lotto.
After the court’s decision, Mr Beyuo then apologised to the court for his outburst, to which Mr Awuku also apologised to him (Mr Beyuo).
Mr Justice Ofori-Atta then advised Mr Beyuo to control his emotions, while he called on Mr Awuku to desist from making unfounded allegations.
“I work with my conscience,” Mr Justice Ofori-Atta concluded.
The GLOA and the other plaintiffs, namely Obiri Asare and Sons Limited, Rambel Enterprises Limited, Dan Multipurpose Trading Enterprise Limited, Agrop Association Limited, Star Lotto Limited and From-Home Enterprises had sought to question the constitutionality of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) Act 2006, Act 722.
They had, therefore, prayed for a declaration that the directive from the NLA to private lotto operators to surrender machines or equipment used for the operation of lottery to the director-general by August 14, 2007 was unconstitutional, illegal and unreasonable.
But the court held otherwise. The plaintiffs then filed an appeal against the court’s decision.
The appellants stated in their motion for stay of execution that the judgement banning their operation was "wrong in law and an improper exercise of discretion”.
According to the plaintiffs, "the subsequent dismissal of our action raises serious questions of law and fact, which will have to be considered by the appellate court".
The Fast Track High Court’s judgement banning private lotto followed an application by the NLA, which prayed the court to dismiss the plaintiffs’ suit on the premise that the Supreme Court had declared the Lotto Act constitutional and, for that reason, there was no basis for the substantive suit to continue at the lower court.

Golf teacher sentenced to death by hanging

Monday, November 3, 2008 (Page 31)

THE Accra Fast Track High Court last Friday, sentenced a golf teacher, Noble Adu-Gyamfi to death by hanging after it convicted him of murdering Mr Paul Figali, a French-Lebanese national.
Noble murdered Mr Figali, who was the Chief Executive of Imexco Ghana Limited in August 2005, stole the deceased’s Nissan Murano vehicle, removed the vehicle’s number plates and threw them in a bush but was arrested barely four hours after the incident.
The deceased was later found in a bush at Lashibi, a suburb of Accra with a deep wound on his head.
Noble, who was the golf teacher of the deceased, fell out with the deceased after he allegedly accused Noble of stealing his (deceased’s money). The convict’s unidentified accomplice, is on the run.
Noble, who is in his late 20s was found guilty on two counts of conspiracy and murder by his peers but he informed the court before his conviction that “I am not guilty of the offence. I am innocent in this case. Mine was to drive the car and follow instructions”.
He has 30 days to appeal against his conviction.
The convict was initially arraigned together with Relwan Zakour and a mason named Amuzu at the Accra District Magistrate’s Court but the two were later acquitted and discharged.
They were then used as prosecution witnesses alongside six others who testified against Noble.
A seven-member jury in a unanimous decision returned the verdict of guilt against the convict after the trial judge, Mr Justice E. K. Ayebi, summed up the evidence led by the prosecution as well as the defence put up by the convict.
Initially, the jury could not reach a verdict after deliberating for more than 30 minutes.
They went back to the courtroom for re-direction from the court, went into deliberation and eventually came back to the courtroom with the verdict of guilt against Noble.
Some family members of Noble wailed and cursed in reaction to Noble’s conviction.
One family member who spoke Ga amidst tears questioned no one in particular by stating “how much did you pay for this to be done to Noble? You are wicked. God will punish you.”
The facts of the case were that Noble murdered Mr Figali, dumped him in a bush and drove the vehicle off to a prosecution witness’ house with his accomplice.
He gave GH¢10 to the mason to watch the vehicle for him while he went out to take care of a few things.
Noble returned in a taxi but could not get down at where he left the vehicle because he noticed that he was being trailed.
According to the prosecution, Noble ordered the taxi driver to drive off but the taxi’s movement was impeded by an articulated truck, thereby forcing it to stop.
Noble got down from the taxi and attempted to escape but he was apprehended by an angry mob which was suspicious of his demeanour.
He was later saved by a police officer who chanced on the scene and later handed him over to the authorities.
The keys to the deceased’s car was later found in Noble’s possession.

Muslim elders seek out-of-court settlement

Saturday, November 1, 2008 (Mirror - Page 27)

SOME Muslim elders have approached the legal counsel for the National Hajj Council (NHC) which has sued over the right to operate the Hajj in Ghana, for an out-of-court settlement.
The NHC filed a writ at the Accra Fast Track High Court seeking an order of perpetual injunction to restrain the offices of the Vice-President and the National Chief Imam from interfering in the operations of the Hajj in Ghana.
It is also seeking an order requesting both offices and the defendants to hand over all arrangements made for the 2008 Hajj to the NHC.
Counsel for the NHC, Mr Bright Akwetey, informed the Accra Fast Track High Court at its sitting in Accra last Monday that he was approached by some elders of the Muslim community to have the matter settled out of court.
He said if nothing was done to send Ghanaians to the Hajj pilgrimage this year, the country would be banned for five years.
A Muslim elder, Alhaji Asuma Banda, informed the court that he was not asked by any of the factions to withdraw the case out of court for settlement.
He said he had intervened because he was a Muslim elder and further stated that the matter was a delicate one and as a result “I am relinquishing my own business to ensure the matter is settled.”
Alhaji Banda, therefore, called on Muslims to pray for the matter to be settled.
Counsel for the defendants, Alhaji Ishaq Alhassan, told the court that his clients would co-operate for the matter to be settled.
The court after listening to parties in the matter accordingly adjourned the matter to November 3, 2008 to enable the parties to settle their differences.
Among the reliefs being sought by the NHC is an order of perpetual injunction to restrain the Office of the National Chief Imam and the defendants from interfering in the activities of the NHC.
In a statement of claim the NHC is also seeking a declaration by the court that it is the sole and legitimate body charged with the responsibility to organise the Hajj in Ghana by the Muslim community.
The other defendants in the case are Alhaji Lumuna Mohammed Muniru of the Ministry of Health; Dr Alhaji Abdul-Wahab Alhassan of the Office of the Vice-President; Sheik Yunus Osman Mohammed of the Pathology Department of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and Alhaji Osman Kadri English of the Office of the Chief Imam.
The writ, filed on October 2, 2008, is further seeking a declaration that the Interim Hajj Management Committee (IHMC) did not have the mandate of the Muslim community in Ghana to organise Hajj operations.
It is also asking for an order requesting the Office of the Vice-President to unblock access of the NHC to diplomatic facilities for the Hajj of 2008.
Among the reliefs is an order requesting the Office of the Vice-President to desist from interfering in the work of the NHC regarding Hajj operations and an order requesting that office to refund, in full, the air fares paid and other expenses made by the 728 pilgrims who were not airlifted to Mecca for the 2007 Hajj, plus interest on their air fares at the prevailing bank rate.
The plaintiff is also seeking a declaration that the Office of the National Chief Imam is not vested with any authority to organise the Hajj for Muslims in Ghana, an order requesting the defendants to stop operating bank accounts in the name of the NHC and an order restraining the defendants from making any public statements or statements in private for the mobilisation of funds for the 2008 Hajj, as well as an order to restrain the defendants from executing any contracts with anybody or bodies in relation to Hajj operations in Ghana.

Tsatsu case: Judge exercised discretion lawfully • Supreme Court declares

Tuesday, October 29, 2008 (Page 3 Lead)

THE Supreme Court has held that the trial judge who sentenced Tsatsu Tsikata to five years’ imprisonment exercised her discretion properly and lawfully when she refused to adjourn proceedings on the date Tsikata was imprisoned.
“From the record, the applicant was treated equally by the judge without any discrimination. It also follows that the trial judge performed her duty in the application before her with fairness and the requisite degree of candour. In our view, she exercised her discretion in the matter judicially and in compliance with Article 296,” the court declared.
“The Supreme Court’s supervisory jurisdiction over the superior courts is one which has far reaching potential and as such it is important that we exercise it with circumspection so as to achieve the purpose for which we were given such power in the first place. We are not to use this power to interfere unduly with the exercise of judicial discretion, nor are we to allow it to be used as an alternative to appeal,” the court pointed out.
Before his conviction on June 18, 2008, Tsikata had prayed the Accra Fast Track High Court to adjourn proceedings, since his counsel was not present to move an application to lead fresh evidence in the matter in which he had been accused of causing financial loss to the state.
However, the trial judge declined to adjourn proceedings and accordingly directed Tsikata to move his application but he refused.
The trial judge, Mrs Justice Henrietta Abban, then dismissed the application for want of prosecution and went ahead to deliver judgement which was to have been delivered in December 2006 but had been on hold awaiting the outcome of interlocutory appeals filed by Tsikata.
Tsikata then filed an application at the Supreme Court praying the court to quash the processes which led to his conviction, as well as arrest its judgement on whether or not to order the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to testify in his case.
The court, on October 16, 2008, dismissed both applications and described them as without merit and informed parties in the matter that the court would file its reasons on Friday, October 24, 2008.
In its reasons, the court said the learned trial judge did not commit any error when she struck out the application for want of prosecution.
“She had the power to do so and she exercised that power without denying the applicant any of his constitutional or legal rights,” the five-member panel, presided over by Ms Justice Sophia Akuffo, pointed out.
The court, which had Mr Justice Julius Ansah, Mrs Justice Rose Owusu, Mr Justice Jones Dotse and Mr Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie as the other panel members, said there was no evidence of prejudice on the part of the trial judge.
According to the court, the totality of the evidence proved that Tsikata had the chance to a fair trial and pointed out that he chose to cause an application to be filed on his behalf when he was fully aware that his counsel was due to travel within a matter of a few days for a considerable period of time.
Citing authorities to buttress its point, the court said, “Having done so, he chose not to arrange for representation by another counsel or to represent himself,” adding that “in such a case it will not be reasonable to say that any rights of the applicant were in any way prejudiced or breached in any manner”.
For that matter, the court held that the trial judge did not act capriciously or arbitrarily when she proceeded with the reading of her judgement rather than continue to await the outcome of the appeal on the IFC issue at the Supreme Court.
“The decision whether or not to adjourn a court’s proceedings from one day to another is purely at the discretion of the judge presiding over that court. It was in the exercise of that discretion that the trial judge, from December 2006, kept adjourning the reading of her judgement from date to date.
“Also undisputed is the fact that, as pointed out by the Honourable Attorney-General, at no time did the Supreme Court (or any other court) make any order binding the trial judge from delivering her judgement pending the outcome of the interlocutory appeal,” the court held.
Tsikata, a former Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), was found guilty on June 18, 2008 on three counts of wilfully causing financial loss of GH¢230,000 to the state and another count of misapplying public property and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on each count, to run concurrently.
He was charged in 2002 with the offence for guaranteeing a loan for Valley Farms, a private cocoa producing company, on behalf of the GNPC and another count of misapplying GH¢2,000 of public property.
Valley Farms contracted the loan from Caisse Francaise de Developement in 1991 but defaulted in the payment and the GNPC, which acted as the guarantor, was compelled to pay it in 1996.
He, however, denied any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, an appeal against his conviction is pending before the Appeals Court.

Goodies trial ajdourned to October 30

Monday, October 27, 2008 (Page 55)

THE narcotic trial involving the Managing Director of Goodies Music Productions, Isaac Abeidu Aidoo, aka Goodies, has been adjourned to October 30, 2008.
Goodies allegedly swallowed 80 pellets of cocaine and attempted to smuggle them to the United Kingdom on April 23, 2008 but he was arrested at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
The circuit court hearing the case adjourned it to enable the new prosecutor assigned to it to study the record of proceedings before continuing with the prosecution.
At the court’s sitting in Accra yesterday, the new prosecutor, Mr Paul Asibi Abariga, an Assistant State Attorney, informed the court that he had been assigned to the case because his senior colleague, Mrs Valerie Amartey, a Chief State Attorney, was currently on vacation.
He, therefore, prayed the court to give him a short period to study the record of proceedings.
The court, presided over by Mr Mahamadu Iddrisu, granted his request and accordingly adjourned the case to October 30, 2008.
A third prosecution witness is expected to testify at the next adjourned date.
Goodies, on July 8, 2008, pleaded not guilty to the possession of narcotics and the court has since remanded him in prison custody.
According to the prosecution, about 10.45 p.m. on April 23, this year, when Goodies arrived at the KIA to board a Ghana International Airlines flight to London, operatives of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) suspected him of carrying drugs in his stomach.
Goodies was, therefore, escorted to the 37 Military Hospital for an X-ray, which revealed that he had some foreign materials in his stomach.
He was subsequently arrested and put under surveillance and, in the process, he expelled 80 pellets of a whitish substance suspected to be cocaine.
Goodies informed the police during interrogation that one Abdul Haid, a musician residing at East Legon, Accra, had given him the drugs to be delivered to one Willie for a fee of $3,000.

Driver's mate jailed for slashing colleague

October 27, 2008 (Page 47)

A driver’s mate who inflicted deep machete wounds on his colleague has been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in hard labour by an Accra circuit court.
Richard Osei, alias Koliko, committed the offence at the Odawna Lorry Park, near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, on October 13, 2008 after he had been exposed by the victim as having stolen locally fermented cheese called “Wagashie”.
The victim, Kojo Aboagye, also a driver’s mate, sustained deep machete wounds on his head and ribs.
Osei, 25, who was sentenced on his own plea of guilty by the court, presided over by Mrs Ivy Heward-Mills, wailed uncontrollably as he was escorted from the courtroom to begin his sentence.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Chief Inspector Mary Adika, had told the court that the victim called a lady who was selling a local food known as “Wagashie” to buy some.
While the seller was on her way to serve Aboagye, Aboagye saw Osei secretly removing some of the “Wagashie” from the seller’s tray.
Aboagye alerted the seller to that, infuriating Osei in the process.
Osei described Aboagye as an enemy, went for a machete and inflicted wounds on Aboagye’s head and ribs.
After the attack, Aboagye, who was saved by onlookers, lodged a complaint at the Neoplan Police Station where he was issued with a police medical form to attend hospital.
Osei was later arrested by onlookers and handed over to the police.

Man jailed for blackmail

Monday, October 27, 2008 (Page 32)

AN unemployed senior high school graduate has been jailed for seven years for demanding GH¢5,000 from the proprietor of a pharmaceutical company in Tema through threatening text messages.
Michael Clifford Kwabla Krif sent several threatening text messages to the complainant, who is pregnant, forcing her to flee from her home in Tema for safety.
The convict, who was the boyfriend of the complainant's house help, was sentenced on his own plea of guilt.
Kojo had earlier this month threatened to kill the complainant if she did not deposit the amount in his personal account, but he was later arrested at his hideout in Ashaiman while he was in possession of the phone number he used in sending the threatening text messages.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of threat of death, prompting the court, presided over by Mrs Ivy Heward-Mills, to convict him.
He was sentenced to seven years imprisonment with hard labour on each count. The sentences are to run concurrently.
The facts of the case were that the convict used to visit the complainant's house help anytime the complainant was absent and he, therefore, got firsthand information on what prevailed in the house, including the complainant's financial status, her pregnancy, her telephone number, among others.
He, therefore, decided to use the information he had gathered to extort money from the complainant through blackmail and threat of death.
Around 10:37 p.m. on October 5, 2008, while the complainant was asleep, the convict sent a text message from his MTN number 024 0783793 to the complainant's phone, stating, "I can see you are pregnant with twins but offer that thing and you will be free to born", in apparent reference to his request to her to send GH¢5,000 to his personal account.
Two days later, he sent another text message around 3:50 p.m. which read, "We can see you are afraid and for us to set you free to deliver your twins safely, go and deposit an amount of GH¢5,000 or ¢50 million into account number 0120523602913 at any branch of Opportunity Bank.”
“Be an obedient person and deposit the money from today to Friday. E-mail: smallboy @yahoo.co.uk. Do it to avoid death," the text message added.
The complainant, fearing for her life, reported the matter to the police and went into hiding.
Upon thorough investigation, the police arrested Michael at his hideout in Ashaiman on October 11, 2008.
He was caught composing more text messages meant for the complainant.

Police investigators given 14-day ultimatum • To renew expired warrants of remand prisoners or ...

Wednesday, October 22, 2008 (Page 3 Lead)

POLICE investigators across the country have been given a 14-day ultimatum to renew the expired warrants of remand prisoners or face disciplinary action.
The warrants for more than 300 remand prisoners at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison alone have expired, with some of the prisoners having been on remand for several months without any court appearance.
The ultimatum, which takes effect from today, Wednesday, October 22, 2008, was jointly given by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP).
According to the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr Joe Ghartey, his outfit would take steps to ensure that remand prisoners were released on bail if police investigators did not take steps to renew their warrants within the given period.
Section 169 (2) of the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act 1960, Act 30, as amended by Section 17 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Amendment) Act 2002, provides that “a court shall not adjourn a case for more than 14 days where the accused person is on remand”.
Mr Ghartey said as a result of the Remand Review Project, a component of the Justice For All Project, it had become obvious that some warrants of remand prisoners had expired.
He, therefore, directed the Director of Public Prosecutions and all regional heads of the Attorney-General’s Office to monitor the exercise.
They are expected to report back to the Attorney-General at the end of the deadline.
A report submitted by the Centre for Human Rights and Civil Liberties (CHURCIL), a partner in the Justice For All Project, stated that more than 300 remand prisoners were still being held at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison, in spite of the fact that their warrants had expired.
According to CHURCIL, documents on more than the 300 affected prisoners and those of 300 others could also not be traced, after its officials undertook a six-month check on prisoners at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison.
CHURCIL is working in collaboration with the Attorney-General’s Department and other agencies under the Justice for All Project.
The Justice for All Project was launched by Mr Ghartey on September 27, 2007.
More than 56 prisoners have been freed since the inception of the project, which is aimed at bringing justice to the doorstep of all citizens, especially the vulnerable in the society.

4 Former Heads of State, 133 others get back assets

Wednesday, October 22, 2008 (Second Lead Story)

FOUR former Heads of State, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, General A.A. Afrifa, General I.K. Acheampong and General F.W.K. Akuffo, are among a list of 137 individuals who are beneficiaries of the government’s assets deconfiscation policy.
According to a release signed by a Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr Kwame Osei-Prempeh, and released yesterday, the President had, in the interest of national reconciliation, decided to release the assets of the 137 whose assets were confiscated by various military regimes.
They or their representatives were to have access to their properties, wherever they were in the country, by the end of this year, the release indicated, and asked beneficiaries or their representatives to contact Room 14 at the Attorney- General’s Department or call 021-682530 for details.
It said the President, upon the recommendations of the Confiscated Assets Committee, the Restoration of Assets Committee and the Attorney-General and in the spirit of national reconciliation, deconfiscated the assets to their original owners.
According to the release, the return of the assets would be on a “where is, as is basis”, meaning that beneficiaries were expected to take them in whichever condition they might find them.
“In cases where deconfiscation is not possible because of peculiar circumstances, compensation may be paid,” the release pointed out.
The other beneficiaries include Krobo Edusei, 13 houses in Accra, Tema and the Ashanti Region; Dr Matthew N. Tetteh, who owns a chain of 34 houses, including storey buildings at Dansoman Exhibition Site, Adenta Housing Estates, Tema and other parts of Accra; J.K. Siaw, eight houses in Accra; Dr E. Ayeh Kumi, 13 houses in Takoradi and Accra; K. N. Owusu of Kowus Motors, four properties; Col C. R. Techie-Menson, six houses in Accra; Moses Tweneboah Kodua, six houses in Accra and the Ashanti Region.
Other beneficiaries who own one or more houses include A. E. Inkumsah, General Robert Kotei, Squadron Leader George Tagoe, S.K. Kpegah, E.A. Amoah, who is the owner of Association International School, Commander J.C. Addo, Major Kwame Asante, Col E.O. Nyanteh, Alhaji Tiello Buccom, Ghazi Dakmak, Group Captain K.A. Jackson, Commander J. D. Boham, F.K. Dra Goka, among many others.
Popular deconfiscated assets include the Frafraha Prison Farms, Association International School, Caprice Hotel and Casino, Kowus Motors, the assets of the Ghana Co-operative Marketing Association, some properties at the Airport Residential Area, Cantonments, Roman Ridge, Ringway Estates, Awudome Estates, North Labone, Tema, Osamkrom Prison Farms and other parts of the country.
Under the deconfiscation process, beneficiaries will be asked to provide some basic information, such as proof of identity, letters of administration or will, in the instance where the original owners are dead.