Policemen before tribunal for stealing NDC cash

Captain Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey (Rtd), counsel for the two policemen accused of stealing 100 million cedis belonging to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), prayed the Greater Accra Regional Tribunal to give his clients enough time to prepare their defence.

He said they needed more time "to put our house in order so that we can come and put up our defence on the next adjourned date". Mr. Anthony Gyambiby, Principal State Attorney, who is representing the State in the case, obliged to the request. He stated: "it would only be fair that the accused persons put their house in order".

The three-member tribunal, chaired by Mr. Justice Isaac Duose, granted the request of counsel and adjourned to May nine. When the case was called on February nine, 1999, counsel for the two policemen, Constables Fidelis Kwame Yebbi and Anthony Kwesi Avalifo, raised an objection that the tribunal had no jurisdiction to hear case.

The basis for the objection was that the money, which was allegedly stolen by the two accused persons, belonged to the NDC and not to the state. As a result, the Regional Tribunal referred the matter to the Supreme Court for interpretation.

On Wednesday, April 12, the Supreme Court in a unanimous decision of 5-0 ruled that the tribunal has jurisdiction to hear the case and, therefore, ordered that the two constables be arraigned before it on Tuesday for proceedings to continue.

In 1997, the two policemen, who were on guard duty at the residence of Dr. Obed Asamoah, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, allegedly acted together and dishonestly stole the money that was kept in Dr. Asamoah's custody for safekeeping. From September 1997 to April 1998, Yebbi and Avalifo allegedly stole the money in bits to the tune of 100 million cedis.