Re-trial of Banka chief to begin April 19
An Accra High Court will on April 19, begin the re-trial of Nana Osabarima Twiampomah III, Chief of Banka, who allegedly misappropriated $150,000 belonging to his subjects.
The accused person is the chief of Banka, a farming community in the Asante Akyim District in of the Ashanti Region.
The 53-year old Nana Twiampomah is being held for stealing.
The re-trial was set for that date as the trial judge was taken ill after the state had called four witnesses and the matter was re-assigned to a new Judge, Mr Justice L. L. Mensah.
When the matter was called at the court Monday March 21, Mr Matthew Amponsah, Chief State Attorney said that the state had filed a new charge sheet and they were ready for the trial.
However Nana Twiampomah’s counsel, Mr Richard Bobinson was not in Court and the prosecution said the defence counsel called to say he had travelled.
The matter was therefore adjourned to April 19.
Nana Twiampomah is being held for allegedly misappropriating the money, which was a lease sum paid by Gulf Coast Resources Limited, a mining company, to the people, after using their land for mining for 10 years.
The complainant was one Nana Yeboah who is acting on behalf of the people of Banka.
In the year 2000, the gold mining company Gulf Coast Resources Company Limited (GCRCL) acquired a mining lease for a period of 10 years from the Minerals Commission to operate a gold mine on Banka Lands.
The mining lease expired in 2010.
On the expiration of the mining lease, the mining company wrote to the Minister of Lands, Forestry and Natural Resources for renewal of their mining lease on Banka lands.
The Banka community spearheaded by the accused person challenged the renewal lease.
In a letter dated June 10, 2010 to the sector Minister and authored by the accused person on behalf of the elders and people, the people of Banka petitioned against the renewal of the lease on the grounds that GCRCL had failed to fulfil its corporate social responsibility to the Banka Community over the past 10 years.
Consequently, the Mining lease was renewed for another 10 years beginning from 2011.
GCRCL however transferred the rights to another mining company known as Banka Gold Limited. Based on the proceeds of the transfer, GCRCL paid $150,000 to the accused for the people of Banka as promised.
Mr Ebenezer Baah Asare-Quansah, the Managing Director of GCRCL, said in his statement to the Police, that the said payment of the amount to the accused was for the people of Banka and not for his personal use.
They said the amount was paid into the accused person’s account per a Stanbic Bank Cheque numbered 534403 on June 14, 2011.
The accused acknowledged receipt of the said amount which he appended his signature to the contents of the receipt, which indicated that the amount received by accused person was on behalf of the people of Banka.
He however failed to inform the people of Banka and when they got wind of the amount and quizzed him, the chief said the money was paid to him for his personal use and not for the development of Banka.
According to the accused person, he used the $150,000 to defray his legal expenses when he was pursuing matters against GCRCL.
Source: GNA