Minister cages driver

A 43-year-old tipper truck driver is languishing in police cells without bail, on the orders of the Central Regional Minister, Mr. Samuel Sarpong, after allegedly being subjected to severe beating by the regional political head, his bodyguard and driver on the Winneba-Kasoa road Tuesday afternoon.

Yaw Owusu, a worker with Henry Goldberg Haulage. The Chronicle learnt, has been directed by the Minister to pay the cost of damage done to his vehicle, with registration number GB 265-12, before being released from the Kasoa police cells.

The cost of damage, according to analysis conducted by the Body and Paint Workshop of Toyota Ghana Company Limited is estimated at GH6, 437.24.

Available information to The Chronicle indicates that the tipper truck driver was returning to Accra with his truck fully loaded with sand, when he met his ordeal at the hands of the Central Regional Central Minister and his boys, in the full glare of other road users at a location near Senya Breku. The tipper truck driver was accompanied by two assistants, Ernest Kwabena Kyeremeh and Kojo Okyere.

Ernest Kyeremeh, in an interview with The Chronicle, said an accident had occurred on the Winneba-Kasoa road, resulting in a traffic jam, when all of the sudden the minister’s vehicle allegedly drove carelessly past the truck, and stopped in front of it.

“So our driver [Yaw Owusu] questioned the minister’s driver why he drove that way. Suddenly, a policeman [minister’s bodyguard] came out of the vehicle and walked towards our driver, opened his door, and pulled him out of the car, while the truck was still in motion and subjected him to severe beatings.

“As a result, we could not stop the truck and so it drove straight into the minister’s Land Cruiser and caused damage to the right front door,” he narrated.

According to him, while the bodyguard was assaulting the driver, the minister allegedly joined the fray with his driver, before pulling him (Yaw Owusu) in to his Land Cruiser and had him locked up at the Kasoa Police Station.

“The police [minister’s bodyguard] was the first to hit him [Yaw Owusu], followed by the Minister, and then the minister driver also. They then arrested him, put him in the Land Cruiser and ordered us to drive our truck with registration number GS7484-12 and follow them to the Kasoa Police Station,” noted Ernest Kyeremeh.

On Wednesday morning, officials of Henry Goldberg Haulage, together with the minister’s bodyguard and driver, met at Toyota Ghana Limited to assess the cost of damage done to the minister’s vehicle, with the later demanding onward payment as instructed Yaw Owusu.

Company officials in an interview with The Chronicle confirmed the accident but wondered why the Kasoa Police were dragging their feet in granting Yaw Owusu bail, when the tipper truck had been impounded and had also forwarded the cost of damage done to the vehicle to their insurance company to take over the matter.

To them, they cannot effect any payment until investigations are conducted into the accident and their driver found guilty of traffic offense.

However, piece of information picked up by this paper indicates that the body guard and the driver were instructed by the minister to be on standby at the Kasoa Police Station to make sure payment to the damage on the vehicle was done before releasing Yaw Owusu form police custody.

“I am not getting you well, in the sense that when we leave here right now and get back, what are we going to tell our boss? We’ve not Witness the payment whether…eh. You see, the thing [payment] have to be done before Tuesday.

“It is the vehicle that we are using for work so we cannot go and maybe, you come on Tuesday for the vehicle, then those working over there will tell us that the money delayed so, therefore, they couldn’t finish on time.

That is why I want to be assured that you people have to at least, put down something, so we can go tell our boss that this happened. But just to tell us you’ve come for paper work and leave, I can’t go and tell him that,” argued the Minister’s bodyguard in a conversation with officials of Henry Goldberg Haulage, monitored by The Chronicle.

As at the time of going to press, efforts to get bail for Yaw Owusu proved futile as the Awoshie Tipper-Truck branch of the GPRTU executives were turned down by the Kasoa police, after taking statement from the suspect.

Efforts to get Samuel Sarpong, the Central Regional Minister to react to the story also proved futile as several; calls, including a text message sent to his cell phone went unanswered.

The Crime Officer of the Kasoa District Police Command, ACP Moses Naa Akologo, when contacted on his cell phone, confirmed having record of the case but directed The Chronicle to speak to the district MTTU head, since the matter was in his domain.

The district MTTU boss, however, could not be reached on his mobile phone but sources said suspect Yaw Owusu would be detained until forty-eight hours, before being processed for court.