DOES JUSTICE STILL EXIST FOR NOVOTEL NO.2 MARKET WOMEN? On morning of 16th of September 2011, the President of Novotel No. 1 Market women (Bernice Otoo) came to the market with two other men namely Kodjo and Dadefia and pointed to (Mrs. Doris Anaglo and Madam Diana Kotei) leaders of Novotel No. 2 Traders Association to Tete Kodie. They asked why they were being pointed but there was no response from the Lady mentioned earlier that is Bernice Otoo. Later, the evening of that very day the boys who accompanied Bernice Otoo came back to the market to steal and vandalize property belonging to women of Novotel No. 2. They stole and destroyed property worth GHC3000. They reported the incident at the Adabraka Police station, there the women from Novotel No. 2 were accompanied by the Policemen to make arrest but were prevented from carrying out their constitutional mandated duty by the lady Bernice Otoo. On the 19th of September 2011 between the hours of 12.30 and 1.00am, the Market Queen of Novotel No. 2 Madam Diana Kotei was called at dawn only to be told her shop and other shops were on fire, she asked what triggered the fire and she was told Dadefia one of the men who accompanied Bernice Otoo came back with another guy Tete Kodie to burn the market. They (Diana Kotei the Market Queen and the President of the Novotel No. 2 Traders Association Mrs. Doris Anaglo) were told by their watchman who was at the time keeping vigil and gathering rubbish that the two (2) gentlemen that is Dadefia and Tete kodie sacked him the watchman from the market. The watchman heeded to their request but hid himself nearby as he suspected the two men of being criminals, his hunch was correct a he saw the men start the fire. After lighting the fire they left and the watchman in the company of some other men came to put out the fire, they did these using fire extinguishers available at the market. The next day, the Accra Mayor Alfred Oko Vanderpuye sent an official called Chief Okine from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to access the extent of the fire, indeed after taking a tour round the market he confirmed that the fire was truly arson and asked the leaders of the Novotel No. 2 market to report to the Police what had taken place. The leaders of Novotel No. 2 then being Law abiding citizens reported the arson to the Adabraka Police station. The Adabraka police did nothing neither did they investigate the complains of the women at the Novotel No. 2 market. The market women waited for three weeks but the Adabraka Police did nothing so we took the case to the Police Head Quarters. After reporting their ordeal at the Police Headquarters, the Novotel No. 2 women were assigned a CID operative to help them arrest the arsonists. The women then hired a private investigator to investigate the arson at their market, this cost them GHC1500. After the investigation, the man Tete Kodie was arrested and sent to the James Town Police station and later transferred to the Ministries Police station. After the arrest, Tete Kodie confessed to the crime and alluded to the fact that Bernice Otoo the President of Novotel No. 1 was the one who sent them to burn down the market there by making him Tete her accomplice. Bernice Otoo was also arrested but she denied ever knowing or speaking to Tete on phone. Tete also identified her and confirmed that they spoke on the phone to plan the arson. Tete then later suggested to the Police to be given a phone to dial Bernice’s number and that if the number goes through then Bernice was telling lies to the police. Indeed after calling it confirmed Bernice as the owner of the number. The CID operative was convinced Bernice had something to hide and was convinced she was guilty, arraign them that is Bernice Otoo, Tete Kodie and Mohammed Ali aka Dadefia before court. On the 1st day of court, the women realized the case was taken to the Motor court but they realized their case had nothing to do with vehicles so they started to agitate and the case was redrawn from the motor court. They immediately after the case was withdrawn reported what took place to the then Accra Regional Commander of Police Rose Bio Atinga. She said she will pick up the docket and take the case back to the court. The next sitting of the court, they realized the case had been taken to the Juvenile and family tribunal court. They sensed fraud and asked why the case had been taken there because the case of arson was also not a family matter. This went on deaf ears and the case was still heard in the Juvenile/family tribunal court. Tete Kodie was then asked by the court if he was guilty and he responded I the affirmative, he pleads guilty to the offence he was accused of and gave explanation for the wicked act. He went on to give an account of what transpired between him and the other accused Bernice Otoo and also made known to the courts that he Tete Kodie did not know any of the women at Novotel No. 2. After two (2) months, the Counsel for the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Lawyer Twumasi and Counsel for the Greater Accra Regional Market Queen Mercy Nii Djan’s were also present at the court, they asked that the matter be removed from the court and that it is brought to Accra Metropolitan Assembly for it to be resolved. The market women from Novotel No. 2 were then convinced by the Prosecutor Patchanger and their Counsel Lawyer Carlos De-souzer to go and listen to what the officials of the A. M. A had to say. They then were accompanied to the A. M. A by Lawyer Twumasi to have a meeting with the officials of the assembly, the officials asked them the cost of all the things they’ve lost and they gave the cost as GHC25000 but the Officials asked them to reduce it, they agreed and pegged the figure at GHC20000 and the Accra Mayor Alfred Oko Vanderpuye agreed to pay. The Novotel No. 2 market women went to the A. M. A office on three occasions but were never given their money. They later found out that the Assembly members were opposed to the said payment the Mayor wanted to give to the market women and asked the Mayor to redirect them to the courts. They asked the Mayor to allow the court to prosecute the arson and bring Bernice Otoo and The two other accused to book. The Mayor dealing with the women in an insulting manner told the Market women to leave his office and that “there are human beings at the court” The case was then taken to the court and again the Market women of Novotel No. 2 realize fraud, the culprits or arsonists were not questioned or cross examined, their Lawyer said his clients that are the arsonists were not guilty and that they were innocent of the charges. The women through their Lawyer asked him through the court to subpoena their conversations and the time of call from the communication network that Airtel. After evidence was brought to the Presiding Judge Juliet Osei Baido she did not factor the evidence in her Judgement and in her judgment acquitted and discharged the arsonist. WHY ARE WE WRITING TO LET GHANAIANS AND THE WORLD KNOW? The Market women want the truth about their ordeal to be told to Ghanaians. They want a meeting with the Officials of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly. The reason behind the request for a meeting is that their market is under the jurisdiction of the A. M. A and that they pay taxes to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly but they believe after the Mayor took over the case their case became a useless one that is to say there was fraud in the administration of Justice. They also have cause to believe the Mayor of Accra has some form of vendetta against them as He the Mayor banned the leaders of Novotel No. 2 market women from going to the Market for 1month 2days. They were threatened by the Mayor if they ever got close to their Market; he did this by placing Land guards and Policemen at Market to arrest and beat the Leaders of Novotel No. 2 market women. There was floods around last 3years which destroyed their property at the Market, they were visited by the then Greater Accra Regional Minister and MP for the area Hon. Nii Armah Ashietey and other Accra Metropolitan Assembly officials to access the extent of the disaster, and asked the A.M.A to assist them to access loans from MASLOC. The Mayor Alfred Oko Vanderpuye also denied Market women of Novotel No. 2 women from accessing loans from MASLOC after last 3years floods which caused disaster at the Market after NADMO officials had accessed the disaster and recommended that they be given compensation. They have reason also to believe that the Mayor assisted one of the arsonists Bernice Otoo to access some Loans from MASLOC therefore the Mayor wanted to get Bernice Otoo released and he succeeded in doing that and denying them Justice. The A.M.A boss also made it known to the women of Novotel No. 2 that he will deal with only Bernice Otoo but he wasn’t going to recognize the existence of the women at Novotel No. 2 market They want to know if that is how the Accra Mayor Treats women, they are asking Ghanaians what they have done to the Accra Mayor and Why he manipulated the court issue for the release of the arsonist.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Jul 2013 18:27:19 +0000
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