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NPP parliamentary aspirant assaulted by soldiers
An attempt by an Effiduase Asokore Parliamentary aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to find out from the Electoral Commission (EC) official the register being used in the primaries resulted in the aspirant being badly beaten by the security agents detailed to provide security in the area.
Mr Adom Appiah, lawyer, contesting the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP), Nana Ayew Afriye, had approached EC officials at the Effiduase South polling station to know the register being used for the Saturday polls.
Eye witnesses’ reports indicated that the EC officials were said to have ignored him, a situation that led to some argument between him and the EC officials which saw the military personnel at the polling station shoving him with some hefty slaps.
Mr Appiah, according to the reports, was dragged behind the polling station which is near a police station, where he was said to have also been gun butted, leaving him with some swollen lips.
He has since reported the incident to the police for investigations into the matter.
Meanwhile, at the Asokore West polling station, the register was snatched away by some men believed to be supporters of Mr Appiah.
It was gathered that about 9:30am, four cars pulled up at the polling station with about 20 people onboard and demanded to know from the EC officials, which register was being used for the elections.
Though the EC officials were initially not willing to oblige, they later brought out the register for the group to take a look during which they snatched it and sped off with it.
The incident, however, did not affect the elections at the polling station, as all the nine delegates had cast their votes, at the time and were only waiting for the close of polls for the ballots to be counted.
Source: Ghanaian Times
The prosecution has officially rested its case in The Republic v Solomon Asamoah & Another, the high-profile legal battle commonly referred to as the “Sky Train” case.
The Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai announced the development, praising the state’s team of hard-working prosecutors for successfully anchoring the state’s evidence before the High Court.
The criminal trial centers on the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The duo stands accused of illegally authorizing and paying out US$2 million to a foreign company without obtaining board directives or other mandatory statutory approvals.
State investigators have confirmed that the disbursed millions cannot be found.
Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, the accused persons moved the court for an opportunity to file a submission of no case.
The presiding judge granted the application, ordering the defense to submit their arguments by June 8.
The outcome of the June 8 filings will decide the fate of the trial:
With this, if the judge finds the defense’s submission convincing, the accused will be acquitted and discharged however, If the judge dismisses the submission, the court will order the accused officials to take the stand and explain why they should not face prison sentences.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Sammy Awuku, has expressed deep sorrow following the sudden passing of Isaac Batsa, the constituency secretary for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmaker issued a statement on Tuesday reacting to the news, which has shocked the local political community.
Mr.Awuku praised the late NDC secretary for his bipartisan approach to local governance.
He noted that despite their different political affiliations, Batsa consistently rose above party lines to serve the constituency with diligence.
The MP revealed that the news was particularly shocking given that he had last interacted with Batsa just three days prior on Saturday.
Concluding his statement, Sammy Awuku extended his heartfelt condolences to Batsa’s family, the constituency and regional executives, and the entire NDC fraternity, wishing the deceased peaceful eternal rest.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
