?Quality Grain? 3 Are One Year Old

Tomorrow, Wednesday April 28, 2004, will be a year to the day when three innocent sons of Ghana who worked tirelessly and unceasingly for the economic growth of the country were sent to jail at the instance of the vengeful NPP Government determined to find scapegoats to confirm their pre-election campaign theme of NDC corruption.

Alhaji Ibrahim Adam, one time NDC Minister of Food and Agriculture and NDC MP for Choggu-Tishigu, Mr. Kwame Peprah, former NDC Minister of Finance and George Adja-Sipa Yankey, Director of the Legal and Private Sector Division of the Ministry of Finance, were jailed 2 years, 4 years and 2 years respectively for an offence that the presiding judge virtually admitted that they did not commit.

In convicting and sentencing the three ?willfully causing financial loss to the state?, the late Mr. Justice Kwame Afreh, the shameless and disgraced presiding judge who was a court of appeal judge when he started hearing the case, was promoted to a supreme court judge in the course of the case, and heard the case as an additional judge of the high court, stated as follows:

?This is not a case of stealing? it is not a case of corruption?it is not a case where it is being alleged that the accused persons transferred money from the Government treasury to somebody who was not entitled to it. I think the allegation is that they played certain roles in getting the Ghana government to guarantee certain loans by the quality grain company.

Justice Afreh also as much as suggested that if the accused persons had pointed the finger of blame at former President Rawlings, he may have dealt with me more leniently. This is what he said.

?Why did the Ghana government get into such a horrible mess?? The answer is, ?somebody up there liked her? and that was the source of her power and influence? he accused persons did not press their defence of superior orders. Everybody seemed anxious to keep the former president out of the case. So the court does not have full details of his involvement though there is no doubt he was involved. If the accused persons had given the evidence of who was giving them the orders and instructions, I may have been lenient with them.

Events following late Justice Afreh?s judgement clearly showed that the NPP government simply wanted the ?Quality Grain 3? in jail as a propaganda showcase.