NPP Chairman Beats Man To Death?

Kumasi -- The Ashanti Regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. F. F. Anto, has found himself on the wrong side of the law, for his alleged involvement in the mysterious death of one of his employees.

He stands accused of having beaten one Kofi Kyerekoh, under his employ as a security guard-cum-cleaner of a students hostel, Adona Hostel, owned by him, culminating in his death.

Chronicle investigations have established that the late Kyerekoh had been contracted by Anto to work as a security guard-cum-cleaner on a monthly wage of ?120,000.

The latter, however, had failed to pay him for the past five months. Unhappy about this breach of contract, Kyerekoh reportedly refused to carry an instruction from the NPP chairman to clear the surroundings of the hostel of weeds.

The stoutly-built Anto, on visiting the hostel in December, last year, and noticing that Kyerekoh had not performed the job assigned him, allegedly pounced on him and after mercilessly beating him up, left him.

Two days after the incident , the victim fell ill and was rushed to Ayigya clinic by some of the students. F. F. Anto never visited him.

After the death of Kyerekoh two days later one Thursday, December the NPP chairman, out of guilt, reportedly refused to attend the burial ceremony.

But Anto pointed out in an interview on Monday, December 30, that “murder is a first degree felony, why don’t you advise those who gave you the information to report it to the police?”

Even though he admitted having on previous occasion “slapped him,” he did not beat the deceased on that fateful day.

According to him, he, out of magnanimity, engaged the services of Kyerekoh for a salary of ?150,000 a month and went to the extent of treating him like a brother.

But, he said, the deceased, whom he described as a drunkard, took to the habit of drinking heavily even when on duty.

He told Chronicle that because of his love for booze, the deceased’s friends nick-named him “trotro” for “frequently visiting drinking spots every few minutes.”

Anto explained that, he had met Kyerekoh on a Tuesday. (He does not remember the date). December 3 or 10.

He then travelled to Obuasi only to learn of him having collapsed and died two days later, a Thursday, December 5 or 12.

He denied that he had refused to pay his late employee, but added that due to his attitude towards alcohol, he decided to let his (Anto’s) wife keep the money for the deceased so that whenever he needed some he would be given it.

The accused NPP Regional Chairman said he even parted with ?100,000 to enable Kyerekoh to mourn the death of his in law.

In addition to those two days before his death, the deceased in the company of his wife, went to the chairman’s wife and collected an amount of ?300,000 for the Christmas festivities.

He contended that it was one Aboakesie who sent the deceased to Ayigya clinic, where he was prescribed to have drips infusion but he refused on the grounds that he was afraid.

Anto insisted that it was he (Anto’s) wife’s younger brother and Aboakesie who conveyed the body to Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) for autopsy because, according to him, “it is now an established norm that in every death outside a hospital, a post mortem must be carried out.”

He named one Dr. Sampene of KATH as the one who conducted the autopsy in the presence of Aboakesie, the deceased brother, which outcome established that the deceased had died of a bloated liver as a result of the excessive drinking.

Anto, who revealed that it was he who provided a coffin and musical equipment but without alcohol drinks for the burial and funeral ceremonies, said he did so because two of his employees had died from the habit of heavy drinking.

He has, however, called for a police investigation to establish the truth or otherwise of the allegation.