The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning yesterday confirmed the payment of GH¢42,000 judgment debt to the family of Stephen Danomah, who was shot and killed by a police constable on December 11, 2008.
The Director in charge of External Resource Mobilisation (Bilateral) at the ministry, Mr Kojo Awuah Peasah, who confirmed the payment, told the Judgement Debt Commission sitting that a cheque for the amount was handed over to one Seth Adjei Yeboah, in 2010, based on instructions from the Attorney General (AG).
The Danomah family, Mr Peasah said, was represented by the law firm Totoe Legal Services, “and at a point, I don’t know for what reason, this Adjei Yeboah was issued with a statutory declaration so that he could follow up on the case”.
“So the AG wrote to us that we could pay the money to this Seth Adjei Yeboah, which we did accordingly,” he said.
When it was put to Mr Peasah by counsel for the commission, Mr Dometi Kofi Sokpor, that the statutory declaration indicated that the money be paid into an account, he said the “AG letter stated so” but records from the finance section of his ministry showed that a cheque was issued to Yeboah.
Mr Piassah, who is also the Chief Economics Officer, later presented records of the payment to the commission.
Senior State Attorney
A Senior State Attorney, Mrs Elfreda Dankyi, who appeared before the commission on the same matter, emphasised that she was not the attorney that handled the matter, and that a file on the matter was presented to her only yesterday morning to appear before the commission.
“In fact the office was able to locate some scanty information which we have with us. So my Lord I would not be able to answer all the questions that were served on our office.”
When asked who was in charge of the case, Mrs Dankyi said she did not have any record of the State Attorney who handled the matter.
Sole Commissioner
The Sole Commissioner indicated that the attorney who handled the case was Anna Pearl Akiwumi Sireboe and wondered why she was not asked to appear before the commission.
He said Sireboe wrote something about the case “and, therefore, she would have been in a better position to answer questions than you”.
Counsel for the commission was also surprised that Mrs Dankyi was asked to come because the subpoena made a request for the Solicitor General herself and the State Attorney who conducted the matter.
Mr Justice Apau said the commission had some pressing questions because during the initial stages of the matter Mr John Kwabena Danomah and Mrs Rosemond Danomah, represented the family by going to see Totoe Legal Services for them to serve notice of intention to commence action.
“But when it came to the payment, somebody else, Seth Adjei Yeboah, came in and made a statutory declaration indicating that the money should not be paid through the lawyers who wrote to the AG but it should be paid to him.” he said.
Mr Justice Apau said the AG complied and ordered that the money be paid to Yeboah, instead of the lawyers who started the whole action.
“That is what we don’t understand, and there was no indication of who this Seth Adjei Yeboah was representing, and his position in the family,” he said.
Sittings have been adjourned to August 12, 2013.
Source: Daily Graphic
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