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Missing excavator retrieved at Ellembelle, DCE arrested
The Ellembelle Police have retrieved one of the excavators that were reported missing from Ellembelle, in the Western region.
This comes after days of intelligence operations, police say.
“A team of operations and intelligence officers working day and night discovered the missing excavator several kilometres into a forest within the Ellembelle District,” police said in a statement on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, police have arrested the DCE of Ellembelle, Mr. Kwasi Bonzo and three others for attempting to obstruct the operations.
“While the team of police officers were escorting the excavator to Takoradi, at the Axim Junction, the DCE of Ellembelle, Mr. Kwasi Bonzo organised and led some thugs to attack the police and obstruct the operation. The DCE and three others were therefore arrested accordingly.”
Police said investigation is still underway to recover the other excavator and arrest all those behind it to face justice.
Background
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ellembelle in the Western Region, Kwasi Bonzo, recently accused the Esiama Divisional Police Command over two missing excavators from the site of illegal mining, popularly known as ‘galamsey”, near the Nkroful Senior High School (SHS).
Briefing journalists on Thursday at Teleku Bokazo, Mr Bonzo expressed worry that brand new excavators retrieved from a ‘galamsey site’ in the custody of the police vanished.
Meanwhile, the Western Regional Police Command in its rebuttal, said the police did not take custody of any excavators as alleged by the DCE.
A statement signed by the Head of Police Public Affairs Unit in Western Region, Superintendent Olivia Ewurabena Adiku, on Saturday, said “We wish to categorically state that no excavators were handed to the police by the DCE, Mr Kwasi Bonzo, or any other person from the assembly.”
Souce: Starrfm.com.gh
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
