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Looting spree at Kantamantomarket fire
Fire gutted hundreds of shops
It was a “looting spree”last Friday, when an early morning fire destroyed some parts of Kantamanto market in Accra.
While fear gripped shop owners because of the intensity of the fire outbreak, thereby shifting their attention towards quenching it, some criminals loitering around took advantage of the situation to break into shops to steal items.
Madam Theresa Abiease, a shop owner at the scene said, shortly after the market went up in flames, people were seen breaking into other parts of the shops which were partly affected by the fire and stealing items before the intervention of the security personnel.
The looters took advantage of the situation and made away with some goods which were affected by the fire.
She said, the criminals pretend helping to relocate goods which were not affected by the fire then later took them away unnoticed
Though the police managed to control the situation by arresting some of the looters, others, too, escaped due to the overwhelming number of the people at the scene.
Whilst our photographer on the scene captured the fire outbreak, some scrap dealers were also seen removing copper wires from burnt electric sewing machines.
Some shop owners were sad but took the risk to quench the fire on their own at their various shops as well as prevented people from stealing their belongings.
By Geoffrey Buta
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
