The incident, according to the Police, occurred at about 10:00am when the victim identified as Ahmed Safiadeen, aged 54, who’s a cashier of Delta Agro Company, went to withdraw an amount of GHC 200,000.00 which was meant for salaries of workers and other factory expenses from a bank at the Heavy Industrial Area in Tema.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the victim was on his way to the office in his Toyota Corolla Saloon car with registration number GN 1174-12, when he was suddenly accosted by four armed men a few meters away from his workplace.

The robbers fired several gunshots into his vehicle and robbed him of the money he had withdrawn and sped off in a four-wheel drive.

The victim was immediately rushed to the Raphal Hospital in Tema but was pronounced dead on arrival.

The body has since been conveyed to the 37 Military Hospital for preservation and autopsy.

This incident adds to the growing number of armed robbery incidents in some parts of Accra.

Robbers on rampage

This week has seen a number of robbery incidents in the Accra, one on a Forex Bureaux at Spintex and two daylight robberies in the North Kaneshie area.

Two persons are reported to have sustained gunshot wounds from suspected robbers who appeared to be fleeing a crime scene.

Gunfire was first heard in the area around a Latex Foam showroom at North Kaneshie where the robbers had crashed their vehicle. Two persons have since been arrested in connection with the incident.

Also on Tuesday morning, armed men stormed Royal Motors, an automobile company in Accra, making away with the company’s sales.

Eyewitnesses reported that the robbers trailed a bullion van that had entered the Industrial Area premises of the company to collect the company’s sales made the previous day.

Recent arrests

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), David Asante Appeatu, had earlier announced that the police arrested a group of suspected robbers believed to be behind attacks on about 20 forex bureaux in the Spintex road area in just 2018.

The attacks on these Forex Bureaux were growing number of robberies and high-profile criminal activity in the region.

Mobile money transfer points have also been targeted by robbers in recent times.

‘We’re ready to die’

Despite these attacks, the Director of Operations for the Ghana Police Service, DCOP George Akufo Dampare has said although his outfit is logistically deficient, they are ready to put their lives on the line to ensure the safety of every Ghanaian.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Dampare also noted that the support of the citizens will go a long way to help the Police Service combat the increasing rate of crime in the country.

“We want to give them [citizens] the assurance that we will go every length, including losing our lives to make them safe. We understand that we are not there yet, in terms of the full complement of our equipment. We also understand that over the years, government after government has made an attempt to bring us to a particular level in terms of equipment,” he said.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Police on manhunt for killers of Lebanese in Tema robbery appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

A statement from the Ghana Police Service indicated that the incident happened today [Wednesday] at about 10.00am, “when the victim known as Ahmed Safiadeen, aged 54, who is a cashier of Delta Agro Company went to withdraw an amount of GHC 200,000.00 which was meant for salaries of workers, and other factory expenses of the company from a Bank at the Heavy Industrial Area, Tema.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”yOIteCgi2K2KYGgVcgrOmFa5TBdnCjuN”]The statement, which was signed by the Public Relations Officer of the Tema Regional Command, ASP Joseph Benefo Darkwah, further indicated that “investigations so far revealed that, the victim after the bank transaction was on his way to the office in his Toyota Corolla Saloon car with registration number GN 1174-12, when he was suddenly accosted by four armed men a few meters from his work. ”

“The robbers fired several gunshots into his vehicle and robbed him off the money he had withdrawn and sped off in a four-wheel drive.”

The victim was immediately rushed to the Raphal Medical Centre in Tema but was pronounced dead
on arrival.

The body has since been conveyed to the 37 Military Hospital for preservation and autopsy,” the statement added.

A video available to Citi shows a white car with its side glass dismantled, while the seat is stained with blood.

Scores of people were seen around the car commenting on the robbery attack that had taken place.

Robbers on rampage

This week has seen a number of robbery incidents in the Accra, one on a Forex Bureaux at Spintex and two daylight robberies in the North Kaneshie area.

Two persons are reported to have sustained gunshot wounds from suspected robbers who appeared to be fleeing a crime scene.

Gunfire was first heard in the area around a Latex Foam showroom at North Kaneshie where the robbers had crashed their vehicle. Two persons have since been arrested in connection with the incident.

Also on Tuesday morning, armed men stormed Royal Motors, an automobile company in Accra, making away with the company’s sales.

Eyewitnesses reported that the robbers trailed a bullion van that had entered the Industrial Area premises of the company to collect the company’s sales made the previous day.

Recent arrests

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), David Asante Appeatu, had earlier announced that the police arrested a group of suspected robbers believed to be behind attacks on about 20 forex bureaux in the Spintex road area in just 2018.

The attacks on these Forex Bureaux were growing number of robberies and high-profile criminal activity in the region.

Mobile money transfer points have also been targeted by robbers in recent times.

‘We’re ready to die’

Despite these attacks, the Director of Operations for the Ghana Police Service, DCOP George Akufo Dampare has said although his outfit is logistically deficient, they are ready to put their lives on the line to ensure the safety of every Ghanaian.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Dampare also noted that the support of the citizens will go a long way to help the Police Service combat the increasing rate of crime in the country.

“We want to give them [citizens] the assurance that we will go every length, including losing our lives to make them safe. We understand that we are not there yet, in terms of the full complement of our equipment. We also understand that over the years, government after government has made an attempt to bring us to a particular level in terms of equipment,” he said.

–

By: Marian Ansah & Caleb Kudah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Lebanese killed in robbery attack at Tema appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This means her husband will remain at the Police Hospital, where he was admitted after he fell ill following his arrest.

[contextly_sidebar id=”51yfA4Pmw8CXElGk6cLPFjdVHasGoH8w”]The police are unable to discharge him from the Hospital, as he remains on remand.

His wife broke down uncontrollably after it was announced that the court was unable to hear the bail application due to the absence of the State Attorney handling the case due to ill-health.

The unhappy wife demanded to know whether the case will be heard tomorrow [Tuesday].

Lawyer for the accused, Ralph Opoku Adusei, expressed his displeasure with the proceedings, arguing that his client’s application could be heard with or without the presence of the State Attorney.

He also told the court that, the family of the Lebanese have been evicted from their home, and are having a hard time, as they are forced to put up with friends.

The Lebanese, Hadad Rabih, was arrested in December 2017, for allegedly raping the nineteen-year-old house-help in his home at Airport Hills.

He has since been in the custody of the police with his lawyers attempting to secure bail for him.  The case has been adjourned to tomorrow [Tuesday], where the bail application is expected to be moved.

–

By: Fred Djabanor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Wife of Lebanese rape suspect weeps in court appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the lawyers, led by Ralph Opoku Adusei, their client had an alibi who could verify his whereabouts on the day the incident.

[contextly_sidebar id=”tgpTrsOcATQ3I3ylDzItAOQ3fwUQNBvE”]Mr. Adusei made this revelation during a court proceeding where they sought to secure bail for their client.

Per the facts, as presented by the prosecution, the 19-year-old house help was employed by Haddad and his wife in November 2017.

According to them, since she moved into the house, Haddad had been pestering her for sex.

They claimed that Haddad had lured the house help into one of the bedrooms and tried having sexual intercourse with her when his wife and other occupants of the house had gone out.

Her attempts to resist his advances reportedly infuriated Haddad, who slapped her and then struck her neck after which he dragged her to the bed and forcibly had sex with her.

Alleged victim speaks

The alleged victim, who speaks only Ewe and French, said the suspect beat her after his apparent displeasure with the coffee she had prepared for him.

According to the victim, who spoke to Citi News at the police station, he then dragged her to a bedroom and raped her.

She added that, he slapped her twice in her face before finally overpowering her.

Former AG to serve as victim’s lawyer

Ghana’s former Attorney General, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, stepped in to represent the alleged victim.

Mrs. Appiah-Oppong told Citi News she was keenly following the case, and expressed some satisfaction with the course of the investigations so far, and said she will ensure justice is served.

“We are fortunate to have caught this one early so that the investigation can be done properly. Very often, by the time we become aware of a situation like this, time has elapsed, evidence is lost and it becomes very difficult to follow up on it. That is why we are very keen to follow up on this one to make sure that the proper investigation and proper prosecution is also done,” Mrs. Appiah-Oppong said.

The police administration has said they will put forward a strong case to ensure justice is served.

–

By: Fred Djabanor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Lebanese suspect ‘wasn’t home’ on day of alleged rape – Lawyers appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The 39-year old accused is to reappear before the court on December 19, 2017.

The counsel for the accused prayed for bail, but the court refused on grounds that they did not have the jurisdiction to do so.

Background

The victim in this rape and assault case, who speaks only Ewe and French, said the suspect beat her after his apparent displeasure with the coffee she had prepared for him.

Following the incident, he dragged her to a bedroom and raped her, according to the victim, who spoke to Citi News at the police station.

She said he slapped her twice in her face, finally overpowered her and dragged her to his bedroom where she was raped.

She had also told the Daily Graphic newspaper that she is consistently harassed for sex by her boss anytime his wife was not at home.

Former AG to serve as victim’s lawyer

Ghana’s former Attorney General, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, has stepped in to serve as the lawyer of the victim.

Mrs. Appiah-Oppong told Citi News she was keenly following the case, and expressed some satisfaction with the course of the investigations so far, and said she will ensure justice is served.

“We are fortunate to have caught this one early so that the investigation can be done properly. Very often, by the time we become aware of a situation like this, time has elapsed, evidence is lost and it becomes very difficult to follow up on it. That is why we are very keen to follow up on this one to make sure that the proper investigation and proper prosecution is also done,” Mrs. Appiah-Oppong said.

The police administration has said they will put forward a strong case to ensure justice is served.

Probe into misconduct

As the rape case has unraveled, the issue of suspected police misconduct has come up for discussion.

Initial reports indicated that when the case was reported to the Airport Police, the officer on duty is reported to have accompanied the victim to the Airport Hills residence of the suspect, supervised the packing of her belongings, and only ensured her November salary of Ghc350 was paid her without any arrest being effected.
ASP Tenge said investigations were also being carried out into the suspicions of misconduct and negligence “whatever it is that we find out, or we believed due process was not followed, those ones will be handled internally.”

But shedding some light on the victim’s first visit to the police where an assault complaint was made, she noted that “to her [the rape victim], she didn’t even want to pursue it.”

“All that she wanted was the assistance of the police to be able to accompany to her to her boss’ house so she collects her belongings so that is what the police did. She also demanded that she has worked in that house for the period of a month and therefore, she has the right to collect her monthly salary.”

No complaints were made of previous rape and the issue of rape had not even come in the reports, ASP Tenge added.

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By: Marian Ansah & Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Lebanese rape suspect remanded appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The 19-year-old was allegedly raped by her Lebanese employer, reportedly for the fourth time before his arrest.

[contextly_sidebar id=”GWTc9nBeoXX0piw94bepmwWZt6Cek0as”]However, when the case was reported to the Airport Police, the Officer on duty is reported to have accompanied the victim to the Airport Hills residence of the suspect, supervised the packing of her belongings and ensured that her GHc 350 November salary was paid her.

No arrest was effected at the time.

The Airport Police Divisional Commander, Isaac Kwadwo Asante, however refuted claims that a police officer from his outfit accompanied the victim to the residence of the suspect, but said investigations are ongoing into the police’s handling of the matter.

“It wasn’t the Airport Police [who escorted her]… I think I have made this thing clear,” he stated.

“We had the information on the platform, and we made an immediate follow-up. As I speak, I have invited the personnel at Airport [Police Station] and I am interrogating them.”

“From what we heard from the victim and their entries made at the Airport police station, the initial complaint was assault. The rape issue came here when it was referred to DOVVSU [Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit ] yesterday [Sunday] in the afternoon. So we made the follow-up and he has been arrested.”

The Airport Police Divisional Commander further urged the media and the public to give him some time “so we [the police] can go a bit further with the investigation.”

Background

The victim in this rape and assault case, who speaks only Ewe and French, said the suspect beat her after his apparent displeasure with the coffee she had prepared for him.

Following the incident, he dragged her to a bedroom and raped her, according to the victim, who spoke to Citi News at the police station.

She said he slapped her twice in her face, finally overpowered her and dragged her to his bedroom to rape her.

She had also told the Daily Graphic newspaper that she is consistently harassed for sex by her boss anytime his wife was not at home.

Former AG to serve as victim’s lawyer

Ghana’s former Attorney General, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, has stepped in to serve as the lawyer of the victim.

After a closed-door meeting with the police leadership, she told Citi News that she will keenly follow the process to ensure justice is served to the 19-year-old victim.

Mrs. Appiah-Oppong also bemoaned the fact that such cases are often investigated slowly.

–

By: Caleb Kudah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Police probing possible ‘cover-up’ in Lebanese rape case appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Four policemen from the East Legon District Police Command arrested Haddad Rabih, around 11:45 pm on Sunday.

The suspect, Graphic Online gathered forcibly had sex with the victim around 5:00pm on Saturday in the absence of his wife and other occupants of his household, after subjecting her to severe beatings for resisting his demands.

The Commander of the East Legon District Command, Superintendent Cephas Arthur, told Graphic Online in an interview that investigations are ongoing.

He said the suspect would be processed for court after investigations.

The Ordeal

Narrating her ordeal to Graphic Online, after seeking medical care, the victim (name withheld), who speaks only Ewe and French, said the suspect beat her up mercilessly after she refused to respond to his demands for the second time.

He slapped her twice on the face, finally overpowered her and dragged her to his bedroom to rape her.

According to the victim who could barely turn her neck, she had been in the employment of the suspect from the month of November but was persistently harassed by him for sex anytime his wife was not at home.

The post Lebanese arrested for allegedly raping 19-year-old househelp appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the lawyers, who were expected to open their defence in the case today [Wednesday, May 3, 2017], their client, who is a Lebanese, would better navigate legal pitfalls in the Arabic language, hence their request.

[contextly_sidebar id=”R6xkKOPhay0IJHCn5KxkxyRXgeLxk3VI”]Speaking to Citi News, one of the lawyers for the accused, Julio De Medeiros, said their client badly needs an interpreter.

“We have said that our client doesn’t speak fluent English. He cannot communicate in fluent English. This is a court of record; every word that he says will have some sort of legal meaning and if he is very comfortable speaking in Arabic, I think the justice of the matter demands that all the tools he requires to make his case be made available to him,” Julio De Medeiros stated.

Following the request, the magistrate adjourned the case to the 10th of May, to allow for the interpreter.

Jihad Chabaan is alleged to have shoved a female Ghanaian employee’s face into blended pepper on Sunday, February 26, 2017. The Management of Marwako subsequently suspended him for his actions after massive public outcry.

Ahead of the court session, Jihad Chaban’s lawyers filed an unsuccessful submission of no case leading to an order to his legal team to open their defence today [Wednesday, May 3, 2017].

Jihad Chabaan had also requested for an out of court settlement, citing section 73 of the Courts Act in his argument, to back his request.

The application was however opposed by the prosecution, which argued that one of the charges of causing harm, is a second-degree felony.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Marwako case: Accused Lebanese requests for Arabic interpreter appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The ceremony for the presentation of the scholarships was held at the headquarters of the Ghana Police Service in Accra.

The Minister for the Interior, Ambrose Dery, lauded the contribution of the Lebanese community to the Ghanaian economy.

“In the course of my work as Minister for the Interior, I have encountered many Lebanese nationals who are contributing to our economy in many ways. I also know that some of the Lebanese families have been in Ghana for over 100 years,” he said.

The Lebanese Ambassador, Ali H. Halabi, in his speech, hailed the government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for foreign investors.

“Your government is leading and paving the way of creating an enabling environment for foreign investors to invest in the country. It is important that as you welcome new investors into the country, efforts should be made to improve and strengthen ties with already existing investors.”

Present at the ceremony was the Inspector General of Police, Asante Apeatu.

In addition to the provision of scholarships for the wards of the martyrs, the Lebanese community also sponsors some students in the University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, the Ghana Institute of Journalism, and the Ghana School of Law.

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By: Jeffrey Owuraku Sarpong/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post 31 children of deceased security officers get schorlaship from Lebanese community appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Initial reports indicated that, the supervisor, Jihad Chaaban, locked up the victim to prevent her from getting some treatment for her burning eyes.

[contextly_sidebar id=”mesykexx2UbyOQdu3qIx2kX5gXc19pbG”]But Mr. Chaaban, who has since been suspended by Marwako Management, insists he tried to get her some medical treatment after his bout of anger.

In an apology letter addressed to the victim, he said “I was deeply worried when I didn’t find you minutes after the incident but a bit relieved when I traced you immediately to the dressing room and got my colleague supervisor to rush you to the pharmacy which unfortunately had closed at that time of the night.”

Explaining circumstances that led to the incident, Mr. Chaaban said all that he sought to do was to point out something “I found wrong”.

He further explained that, the whole issue was an accident saying, “I admit I was angry a bit at that moment and saw you panic and accidentally resulting in the pepper splashing onto your face.”

He said he was “again not happy at that news because it was only a little after 9pm, but assured of some relief for you when you found alternative first aid in shea butter, and left for home shortly after and ahead of the official 11 pm closing time.”

Marwako’s management condemned the incident saying it did not condone the actions of the suspended supervisor.

Mr. Chaaban was arrested and interrogated by police, but is currently on bail pending further investigations.

Evelyn Boakye is said to have received the apology letter, but insists that she wants nothing but justice as a statement against employers who maltreat their workers.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Marwako assault: I tried to get victim help – Lebanese supervisor appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.