Transport company Priceline Consult don’t pay taxes to State – Witness
Mr Isaac Akudahu, a ticket seller of Priceline Consult Limited, a transport company, on Wednesday told an Accra Circuit Court hearing the mass bus rape case that management did not pay income tax on his behalf.
In an answer to a question, Akudahu said: “My Lord management does not also pay any Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) contribution on my behalf. We only work and whatever amount realised shared among ourselves.”
This was after defence counsel Andy Appiah-Kubi had requested Mr Akudahu to produce his SSNIT and income tax certificate to the court.
Mr Akudahu, speaking through an interpreter, had difficulty in understanding the questions posed to him by the defence counsel, saying; “My Lord the manner counsel is asking the questions makes it difficult for me to answer.”
But Mr Appiah-Kubi explained that these were simple and vivid questions which were interpreted to him but he is creating the impression that he did not understand them.
He asked the witness “You have told this court that you have been properly employed by your company, do you still stand by it?”
However, Mr Paul Asibi Abariga, Senior State Attorney, objected, saying the question about income tax was irrelevant and defence counsel should ask questions bothering on the issue at stake.
Mr Abariga pointed out that “being employed by the company does not mean he is properly employed and that the word, ‘properly’ have been massaged since I did not hear him say he is properly employed”.
Defence Counsel: Do you still stand by that?
Witness: I did not say so.
Defence Counsel: You said the call that came to you was for the company not so?
Witness: I did not say so.
Defence Counsel: So you want the court to believe that the phone call was not to report any incident to the company?
Witness: No it was not meant for the company.
Defence Counsel: Was it your personal call?
Witness: Yes.
Defence Counsel: So when you had the call what did you do?
Witness: My Lord, I spoke to the driver and he said they were attacked but the driver did not stop.
Defence Counsel: So after speaking to the driver what did you do?
Witness: After communicating with the driver, he hanged up.
Defence Counsel: What did you do after communicating with the driver.
Witness: My Lord I told my relatives who were around about what the driver had told me.
According to the prosecution, Amina lives at Ashaiman, near Tema.
On October 11, last year, Amina together with her mother boarded an Accra-Tamale-Bolgatanga bound bus to attend a funeral.
The accused alleged that during the journey, they were attacked by armed robbers at Kubease, near the Customs Division of Ghana Revenue Authority barrier, during which the armed robbers compelled men on the bus to have sex with the women, and a man, who was traveling with his 14-year-old daughter, was forced to defile her.
The prosecution said the allegation was reported on a radio station and thereafter several radio stations took up the story and published it, thereby causing fear and panic.
The prosecution said when the driver of the bus was contacted he told the police that, on that day, he left Accra with 47 passengers for Bawku through Tamale and Bolgatanga.
The driver said at about 2200 hours he saw a road block mounted by armed robbers but he drove through it and lodged a complaint at the Ejisu Police Station and continued the journey to his destination.
The prosecution said Police investigations confirmed that there was an attempted robbery at Ejisu in the Ashanti Region, but there was no mass rape as alleged by the accused person.
The case was adjourned to Monday, July 4.
Source: GNA