Driver fined for drunken driving

Accra, March 29, GNA - An Accra Circuit Court on Tuesday slapped a fine of three million cedis on a 55-year-old driver for drunken driving. Solomon Acheampong, pleaded guilty to additional charges of careless driving, causing damage and failing to renew the road worthy certificate of his vehicle.

Acheampong would go to jail for six months in default. The case as narrated by Chief Inspector Ben Darfuor was that on February 19, 2005 at about 2115 hours Acheampong drove a Hyundai bus with registration number GR 4120 from Kaneshie to Korle-Bu with passengers on board.

The Prosecution said Acheampong on reaching a section of the road near the traffic light at Radio Gold, failed to observe the traffic light and, therefore, run into a taxicab, which had stopped.

Chief Inspector Darfuor said Acheampong, who was drunk, sped off and in his bid to escape, lost control of the vehicle.

Acheampong's vehicle veered off the road and ran into an Internet caf=E9 at Laterbiokoshie destroying guardrails in front of the building. An alcohol test on Acheampong at the Korle Bu Police station indicated he had 131 per cent of alcohol in his system instead of 0.08 per cent. Prosecution said further investigations revealed that his road worthy certificate had also expired.