Help me educate my siblings

Mrs Elizabeth Ntiamoah, whose father was arrested and died nine years after he was released from serving part of a 20-year jail term, on Thursday appealed to the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) to assist in the education of her siblings as her father's death had made things really tough.

She said her father Anthony Sackey, who was arrested in 1984, was charged with keeping dollar bills adding that the Printing Press which he was then running was confiscated upon the orders of the tribunal that tried him.

Elizabeth said her father could not appeal for his machines to be returned to him after his release from prison because he did not have money and prayed the Commission to help retrieve them for the family.

She said in 1984, she came from school to collect money from her father in Kumasi only to be informed that he had been arrested. Elizabeth said on 15 August 1984 he was sent to the tribunal and was charged with possessing dollar bills and giving some to people to change.

She said her father knew nothing about that but he was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment. Elizabeth said after she completed school, she decided to appeal for her father's release but people collected money from her and did not help to release her father as promised.

"A warder at the Usher Fort took 100,000 cedis from me to make an appeal on my dad's behalf but failed," Elizabeth said, adding that when she decided to collect her money back, the warder arranged for her father to be transferred to Takoradi Prison.

Elizabeth said during her usual visits to Takoradi she met one Boateng who promised to help her appeal for her father's release. "I borrowed money from people and gave it to Boateng who was able to effect my father's release on 24th January 1991 but the printing press was not given back to him."

Elizabeth said her father died in 1999, adding that her father's jail term had resulted in her siblings not being able to go to school. "Things have really been tough." She called on the commission to help her cater for them.