General News of Thursday, 17 January 2008

Source: GNA

Hot exchanges at Dr Adei trial

Accra, Jan. 17 GNA - Mr. Egbert Faibille, Managing Editor of the Ghanaian Observer Newspaper on Thursday lost his cool in court when Nene Amegatcher, Lead Counsel for Dr.Stephen Adei, Rector of GIMPA, made a statement, which did not go down well with him. Nene Amegatcher said he had sacrificed the last fifteen years to teach many law students, including Mr Faibille who was now challenging him in court.

Mr. Faibille who did not take kindly to that statement responded by saying Nene Amegatcher did not teach him for free and that he paid his fees at the School of Law. It took the intervention of Nana Yaa Faibille, his Counsel and other lawyers around to calm him.

Mr Faibille, who is lawyer by profession, was in the witness box to continue with his evidence and was cross-examined by Nene Amegatcher. Mr Faibille, who is also the plaintiff had filled a suit at the High Court against three defendants, including Dr Stephen Adei, as the first defendant, and the GIMPA Governing Council as the second defendant and the GIMPA Institution as the third defendant. Among the relieves sought by the plaintiff were an order by the court to restrain Dr Adei from holding himself as a professor and rector of GIMPA, that the Governing Council of GIMPA should advertise the vacant position in the media and a suitable replacement found. The rest are damages should also be awarded against the first defendant for deceiving the entire GIMPA institution, governing council and the fraud that he had perpetuated on the people of Ghana. He said he would not disclose the sources of some official of GIMPA documents in his possession. He said he could only disclose his source when the court compels him to do that.

Mr. Faibille said he was initiating this court action against the three Defendants purely as a citizen of Ghana who is availing himself of Act 676 that established the new Governing Council and not because somebody had authorized him to do so. He said as journalists, he had his own sources of getting those documents and that he had not read any official minutes from GIMPA meetings.

Mr Faibille, in an earlier cross-examination by Mr. Daniel Amartefio, Second Counsel for the Defendants said Dr Adei had not been re-appointed as the substantive rector of GIMPA for the second term. He said the Governing Council allowed Dr Adei to be in an acting capacity until a substantive person was found and that no letter was attached to that effect.

Asked whether he was aware that at the July 5, 2005 Council meeting, its chairman was criticized for not writing to inform them that Dr Adei had been duly re-appointed for the second term, he said it was not the Council's Chairman who have to write the letter but the secretariat, adding that the chairman would only have to do his verification and append his signature. Hearing continues on Friday. 17 Jan. 08