Court calls for action on Exopa’s court processes
A Fast Track High Court (FTHC) in Accra on Monday ordered its Chief Registrar to expedite action to provide it with the court processes of Sima Ibrahim, the model who has been convicted on drugs offences.
When the case was called, Dr Philip Anderson, counsel for the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) told the court that he was informed at the Registry that the court processes were ready.
The EOCO has filed a motion seeking permission to dispose of assets of Sima Ibrahim, Chief Executive officer of Exopa Modeling Agency, who was jailed for 15 years on drugs-related offences in March.
This was after a High Court had found him guilty on two counts of possessing narcotic drugs without lawful authority and attempting to export narcotic drugs concealed in four tubers of yam.
The EOCO’s action formed part of plans by the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) to confiscate and sell assets of convicted drug dealers to the public.
With the Economic and Organised Crime Act, 2010 (Act 804) recently passed as its backbone, NACOB’s action is intended to prevent individuals linked to convicted drug dealers from supporting those convicts while they serve their sentences.
Twenty-four properties belonging to Sima, including buildings, vehicles, bank accounts, both local and foreign, cash in foreign and local currencies are to be confiscated.
The properties include the EXOPA Modeling School situated behind the Trade Fair Centre at La; house number 1233 at Community 10, Tema; shareholding and assets in the EXOPA Modeling School; a Range Rover, a Land Rover, a BMW and Opel vehicles; credit cards, as well as German, Belgian and Togolese passports.
Source: GNA
Food and Drugs Board seizes unregistered herbal medicines from Kingdom Herbal
The Food and Drugs Board (FDB) has seized and detained large quantities of unregistered herbal medicines at two locations belonging to Kingdom Herbal Centre at Okaishie and Zongo Junction in Accra.
The unregistered herbal medicines include Kingdom Tremendous Capsules, Kingdom Blood Tonic, Kingdom Ginseng Power Capsules, Kingdom Koo Capsules and Kingdom Garlic Capsules, Kingdom Garlic Bitters, Kingdom Koo Bitters and Kingdom M Mixture.
A statement issued by the FDB on Sunday said the manufacturing premises of Kingdom Herbal Centre was closed down in November 2009 by the Board due to poor hygienic conditions, which was in contravention of the Food and Drugs Law section 16(1)(b).
The law state: “A person shall not manufacture for sale a drug or chemical substance unless the conditions under which the manufacture is to be carried on are in the opinion of the Board suitable to ensure that the articles will be safe for use.”
The FDB said it could not, therefore, guarantee the quality, safety and efficacy of these herbal medicines since they had not been certified.
It also advised the public to ignore the false and misleading therapeutic claims being made on the airwaves that the herbal medicines from Kingdom Herbal Centre could treat cancers, syphilis, gonorrhoea, candidiasis, among other diseases.
The statement said anybody who patronised these herbal medicines from Kingdom Herbal Centre did so at his/her own risk since they had not been registered by the FDB and as such the quality, safety and efficacy, including therapeutic claims could not be guaranteed.
“It must be noted that Section 24(1) of the Food and Drugs Law, PNDCL 305B states that ‘No person shall manufacture, prepare, sell, supply, distribute, export or import any herbal medicine or homeopathic drug, unless the herbal medicine or homeopathic drug has been registered with the FDB.”
The FDB assured the public that it would continue to do all within its powers to execute its mandate to protect public health and safety at all times.
The FDB said the case was being investigated by the police.
Any information from the public on persons suspected to be in any practice with the potential of endangering public health and safety with respect to FDB’s mandate was most welcomed through any of the following contact numbers; 0244337235, 0262689296, 0246809509 or 0208204968.
Source: GNA