General News of Tuesday, 5 February 2002

Source: The Palaver

"My Lord, I am tired" - DPP

There was more drama at the Quality Grains Trial involving two ex-NDC Ministers and three public officials when the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) boldly announced to the court that he was tired and therefore unable to continue with the cross-examination of Mr Kwame Peprah, ex-NDC Minister of Finance and the 3rd accused persons in the trial.

Mr Osafo-Sampong, the DPP had been on his feet for more than an hour and was visibly frustrated by the deft and unequivocal answers that were being given to his questions by Mr Peprah.

Looking haggard and exhausted after an hour of getting nowhere with his questions, Mr Sampong requested the court to adjourn the trial to the next day. This brought counsel for Mr Kwame Peprah, Mr Kwaku Baah, to his feet. He objected to the adjournment, arguing that the trial, which has already lasted 8 months, should be expedited and therefore, proceedings should continue.

It was at this stage that Mr Sampong got up and shouted at the top of his voice: “My Lord, I am tired,” to the merriment of the court audience. The trial judge, Mr Justice Dixon Afreh, granted the adjournment.

It was later learnt that Mr Osafo-Sampon had earlier in the day been on his feet for almost two hours in the case involving Ms Sherry Ayittey and three others currently going on before Mr Justice Amonoo-Monney in another Fast Track High Court. Given that Ms Ayittey is a vice-Chairman of the NDC, her trial is seen as another of those anti-NDC political harassment trials designed by the NPP to execute their political agenda of decimating and disintegrating the NDC by the end of their four-year tenure of office.