Court issues bench warrant for the arrest of Grace Omaboe

Accra, April 8, GNA - An Accra Circuit Court on Thursday issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Grace Omaboe (a.k.a Maame Dokono), Proprietress of Peace and Love Orphanage for failing to appear before the court.

The warrant was issued after the accused and her counsel failed to appear in court though the prosecution was ready to continue with the tri= al. Grace 61, a popular actress and Metro TV hostess, has been jointly charged with Mary Anaglate, a worker at the orphanage for neglect, operating an orphanage without a licence and exposing a child to harm.

They pleaded not guilty and were granted GH¢30,000 bail with two sureties each. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Kofi Blagodzi prosecuting t= old the court that Grace registered the orphanage with the Department of Soci= al Welfare in March 2005.

He said, however, the licence to operate expired in March 2006, but was not renewed therefore since 2006 it operated illegally. The prosecutor said in 2004, Nana Yaa Agyeman, Supervisor of the orphanage wrote to the National Commission on Children about the deplorab= le conditions at the orphanage but no action was taken. It said Grace failed to employ adequate staff to manage the orphanag= e whilst the inmates were not fed properly leaving some of them malnourishe= d. The inmates lived in dark and poorly ventilated rooms.

ASP Blagodzi said, as a result of the darkness due to non-payment of=

electricity bills, the older inmates took advantage to abuse the young inmates sexually. He said on December 31, 2008 Grace left for Holland and left only GH= ¢50 for the upkeep of the inmates, the situation deteriorated and complaints were made to the Department of Social Welfare that sent an official to inspect the orphanage.

ASP Blagodzi said it was recommended that four of the inmates should= be evacuated and two of them Daadum Omaboe, two years old, and Barrack Omabo= e, six months old should be sent to other orphanages. He said they were sent to another orphanage, Beacon House where it w= as detected that both inmates had been sodomized.

ASP Blagodzi further said investigations revealed that some of the inmates below 12 years of age took advantage of the darkness and lack of supervision to defile and sodomized the younger ones. He said Joseph Kobby Omaboe and Adom Omaboe were put in boiling wate= r by one of the staff called Daavi, which led to the death of Joseph on October 2006 after both had received various degrees of injuries. The orphanage has since been closed down. 8 April 10