Court permits Kwaw Kese to travel

Accra, July 13, GNA - One of Ghana's renowned hip-life artistes, Emmanuel Botchway, aka Kwaw Kese, who is accused of fraud, would on July 21, absent himself from court after the court had granted him the permission to travel.

Kese's counsel Naa Nortey had prayed the court to grant her client the permission to absent him self from court at its next sitting. Naa Nortey told the court that Kese would be travelling outside the country, saying that trip had been scheduled before the commencement of the trial.

According to her, if she did not seek permission, a bench warrant would be issued to arrest her client.

The practice, she noted was done in criminal cases whenever an accused did not turn up in court.

Kese has been arraigned for allegedly defrauding his ex-lover, Ms Happi Chappell, of 7,000 pounds sterling.

The money was to have been used for a building at Prampram in the Greater Accra Region.

He has denied the charge of fraud and is on GH¢15,000 bail. The court however heard the evidence of Mr. Simeon Asibi, a contractor who was to execute the project at Prampram. Led in evidence by Inspector Jubiok Michaels, Mr. Asibi told the court that he got to know Kese through Ms Chappell in November 2008. Mr. Asibi who lived in Ashiaman, near Tema said he together with Ms Chappell, Kese and one Michael, went to inspect the site at Prampram. The second prosecution witness said they went to assess the site stressing that they spent about 30 to one hour there. "On the way Ms Chappell told me that she had given money to Kese who would be buying the blocks and other materials," witness said. According to the witness, Ms Chappell however did not state the amount given to Kese.

Mr. Asibi said Kese did not provide him with the building materials to work with and he never heard from him.

Answering questions under cross-examination, Mr. Asibi said he did not see Ms Chappell offering Kese any money but maintained that Ms Chappell told him that he had given Kese money for the project. When defense counsel suggested to him that he (Mr. Asibi) and Kese had been to the site on two occasions, he said: "I have nothing to say about that."

When defense counsel suggested to the witness that because Kese was not given any money, he (the witness) did not receive any materials, witness stated that he had nothing to say about that.

The prosecution earlier told the court that Kese and Ms Chappell were "good lovers" in 2008 and she decided to develop her plot of land at Prampram after the two had visited the site.

The prosecution said in January this year, Ms Chappell returned from the United Kingdom and gave 7,000 pounds to Kese, but he failed to use the money for the project.

After several attempts to collect her money, she lodged a complaint with the Police and Kese was arrested.

During Police interrogation, Kese admitted receiving 1,000 pounds and not 7,000 pounds. The case was adjourned to July 21.