Crime & Punishment of Friday, 7 February 2014

Source: Daily Heritage

GYEEDA Boss grabbed with sewing machines

Despite being granted bail by the Kpeshie Divisional Police Command, three persons, Benjamin Alabi Newman, Alfred Laryea and Frank Wilberforce Nii Dua are under investigations for their alleged involvement in the transportation of 153 boxes of sewing machines from the house of the immediate past Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal Assembly (LEKMA), Daniel Amartey-Mensah.

The boxes were moved from the house of the former MCE into the house of one Alfred Laryea, an assembly member without the knowledge of the current MCE, Seth Badu Tawiah.

Mr. Newman, a Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) co-coordinator at LEKMA, the two others, Laryea and Nii Dua were arrested by the Police Striking Force at Teshie-Nungua Estate while offloading the boxes into the house of Mr. Laryea.

Briefing the 'Daily Heritage' after the arrest, the Kpeshie Divisional Crime Officer, DSP Yaw Chene-Takyi said on February 5, 2014 at about 4:30pm, the MCE of LEKMA had information that some members of GYEEDA under his jurisdiction had packed and conveyed some sewing machines belonging to the assembly which were kept in the residence of the immediate past MCE into the house of the assemblyman.

According to him, the machines were packed by Alfred Laryea, an assembly member in the municipality, and were being sent to his house. The current MCE became alarmed and informed the police about the development.

DSP Ohene-Takye explained that after further investigations on the same day, the three men were granted bail to report the next day.

The immediate past MCE, Mr. Amartey-Mensah whose residence the sewing machines were transported to, in his statement to the police said GYEEDA was not directly under the assembly and that was why the items were not included in the assembly’s items.

The immediate past MCE in an interview with the Daily Heritage maintained that the items do not belong to the assembly in the first place.

He told the paper that GYEEDA brought some sewing machines for safe keeping “in my house, so I called the GYEEDA coordinator that they should come for them, I think somewhere Friday or Saturday.”