The Times in its main front page story reports that two chiefs, a fetish priest and seven others who subjected Togbe Adatsi Kwabla, an elder of Whuti, to a trial by ordeal at AveAdzigo in the Volta Region, were on Thursday acquitted and discharged by the Community Tribunal at Agbozume. The Times says in discharging the accused persons, the tribunal chairman, Mr E.P.N. Nyavor, ruled that even though there was evidence that the 86-year-old complainant was tried at the shrine of the fetish priest, there was no ordeal in the trial because the complainant was not exposed to wild crocodiles, boiling oil, immersion in water, neither was he exposed to death as required by law. Mr Nyavor, the Times says, ruled that the use of an egg to determine the guilt of an accused person could not constitute an ordeal and the fact that the accused was commanded by the fetish priest to sit on sharp stones after being pronounced guilty, did not expose the complainant to the danger of death or bodily harm. The Times says according to the prosecution, some time in 1995, Togbe Adatsi, was accused of causing disunity within a drumming group of which he was the leader. The two chiefs, Togbe Agomekpa and Togbe Konku, ordered that Togbe Adatsi be sent to a shrine at Ave-Adzigo to be tried. GRI

"Mystery death in palace, chief held", is a front page headline in the Times whose accompanying story says Nana Wireko Ade II, chief of Asotwe, near Ejisu in the Ashanti Region, was arrested and placed in police custody at Ejisu last Friday, in connection with the death of a female resident of the town. The deceased, identified as Madam Afua Duku, 42, was said to have died in the chief's house under mysterious circumstances. The Times says police sources said yesterday that the deceased was invited by the chief to his house at about 1.15 p.m. on Friday. The sources said while the chief and Madam Duku were chatting, she was said to have suddenly complained of "feeling hot" and started to remove her clothers. According to the sources, the chief gave the deceased a mat to sleep on for a while in his hall. The chief then left the hall to enable the deceased to have some rest but returned later only to find Madam Duku dead. The sources said the chief, accompanied by the Krontihene, reported the incident to the police. GRI

The Times in an inside page story quotes the Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr John Frank Abu as saying in London that the government is removing obstacles hindering the smooth operations of foreign businesses in the Ghana. The Minister, the paper says, was answering questions at a forum with members of the West African Committee, a group of companies with business and commercial interests in Ghana. Dr Abu said the eliminatiion of such obstacles, notably, delays at the ports, ports inspection,transfer of dividends and land acquisition, would encourage investors to take advantage of the favourable invesrtment climate. GRI