Is Victoria the daughter of a Mr. Albert Boateng or a Mr. I. K. Acheampong? This innocuous sounding question is deceptively important FOR THE WOMAN AT THE CENTER OF THE CRIMINAL COMPLAINT OF ASSAULT IN A CHURCH. A bona fide answer may or may not provide some defense for the accused in court. It may determine the guilt or freedom for the seemingly conflicted Victoria whose trial in the Cook County Court for assault on Reuben Hadidze, President of the Chicago Ghana National Council commences Oct 16, 2006.

Does Victoria know the identity of her father? Who is the biological father of the woman who has paraded in Chicago Ghanaian Society as Victoria Acheampong all these years? This person has proclaimed herself as the "daughter" of the former Military Head of State of Ghana, who violently overthrew the Elected PROGRESS PARTY Government headed by Dr K.A. Busia in 1972 in a bloody coup d'etat. However, Mr. Albert Boateng, lately of Florida, has claimed himself to be the biological father of Victoria. Such claim appears not to be without basis, since Victoria herself uses Boateng as her last name on ALL official documents namely but not limited to: Immigration Records, Motor Vehicle Department Identification Records, Apartment Leases, Debit Cards, Prior Court Conviction Records, Gambling Records, Marriage Records and Food Stamp Coupons. Both the State of Illinois and the Federal Government of the United States know this woman as Victoria Boateng, not Victoria Acheampong. So why has she been clinging on to the name Victoria Acheampong only in Ghanaian circles? It is an unofficial, unrecognized name to the law in the United States where she resides. Is there a more sinister reason for this dubious action of Victoria Boateng?

Is she a con woman falsely affiliating herself with the ex-Head of State I. K. Acheampong for material benefits? Material benefits? The ruling NPP government set up a National Reconciliation Committee (NRC) in 2002 to probe all Military takeovers of Governments in Ghana. On August 24 2006, the NRC made 13.5 billion Cedis allocation to families of victims, each person is to rake home between 2 million Cedis and 30 million Cedis. With this hefty sum of money in play, surely it behooves Ghanaian authorities to ask for DNA testing to be performed in order to ascertain that Victoria is an Acheampong, and not a Boateng or some other unknown lineage. So the question of whether one is the daughter of the former Head of State of Ghana I.K. Acheampong is of concern if Victoria is making herself to be Acheampong?s daughter just to enable her to collect a share of this NRC allocation. It would be an act of criminality, if she has papers ready for filing of claim with the NRC! The Ghanaian Society in Chicago has been made to believe Victoria is an Acheampong. Has she not fooled anti-Rawlings forces that she is an Acheampong? The Ghana National Council program brochure describes Victoria Boateng as "Victoria Acheampong". So she has fooled the Chicago Ghana National Council that she is an Acheampong! On October 16, 2006, when she or her lawyer rise to answer "Guilty or Not Guilty" to her Charge, the world will begin to know whether Victoria is a true offspring of Mr. Albert Boateng or just a mere fraudster assuming the identity of a "Political Royalty" (daughter of a former Head of State in Ghana) for some financial gain.

The criminal procedure is for the court to hold an arraignment to take the plea of the accused and later to hear the case of the prosecution and determine whether or not they have made their case. It is only after ruling that the prosecution has satisfied its burden that the court would call on Victoria Boateng to open her defense. At that stage, Victoria would then need to call witnesses. So, is it not farfetched for Vitoria to presume that the court would find her guilty for her to call people like the ex-President Rawlings to help her out of the clutches of the law? Had the prosecution not been able to prove their case, she would not have needed to subpoena any witnesses such as the ex-President. One can argue also that Victoria is being practical in forging her defense even before she is convicted. So observers would want to know whether she knows she committed the offense, and if so, why is she wasting everybody?s time if not for the purpose of advancing the cause of some political treachery back in Ghana.

Meanwhile, the ghost of Ghanafest 2006 lingers on, where the saga of Victoria Boateng is seriously at play in the political arena of Ghana, with the front pages of Ghana's Daily Guide and Crusading Guide, pro-government newspapers especially making headline political news with the twisted aspects of the case. Surprised and bemused staffs of the Cook County Court, as well as prosecutors, are surely investigating the authenticity of Subpoena documents adorning those political newsprints in Ghana. The impending assault trial before the Chicago Courts makes it imperative to look at some of the benchmarks of this Victoria Boateng in Chicago amidst this entire saga.

AFRICA, MY AFRICA

On Saturday, July 29, 2006 at the Ghanafest, The National Council had slated a poem titled "Africa, my Africa" to be read as part of the highlight items. The program, as sanctioned by the Ghanafest planning committee, selected Victoria "Acheampong" to read that poem as item 12 "Poetry Recital by Victoria Acheampong". The program was to begin at 1.00pm but didn't start till 2.56pm. Victoria Boateng was assigned a seat on the podium, two rows directly behind ex- President JJ Rawlings, ostensibly to facilitate her easy access to the Microphone. So, if the ex-president was Victoria?s target, as the anti-Rawlings forces are claiming in Ghana, why didn?t she act when only a seat separated her from him?

As with most things Ghanaian, and as noted above, the program did not start on time, yet there were introductory segments that couldn't be cut out such as the pouring of libation, prayers by pastors, Imams, greetings of traditional heads etc, not to exclude the prolonged euphoric welcome accorded the ex-President that culminated in unscripted dancing. It became necessary to abbreviate and /or change the order of listed items on the program as Time marched on vigorously into the night regardless of the belated wishes of tardy Ghanaians. The Poetry Recital by Victoria "Acheampong" became a victim of this program tweaking. Victoria Boateng became agitated when informed of the change by the President of the Chicago National Council, Reuben Hadidze. The new time allocated Victoria would fall outside the period ex-President J. J. Rawlings would be on the Durbar Grounds. Victoria went ballistic and resorted to a verbal rampage in which she threatened to slap Reuben if she got the opportunity.

Benchmark One: With the events that have since unfolded, people are scratching their heads wondering whether or not Victoria had a 'secret' poem other than the scripted and approved one and felt thwarted by that proposed change in the program? Score one for the innocent, for truth and for Justice! The dark heart of Victoria was defeated by fate.

CHRIST OASIS CHURCH

Close to the period of benediction, the entourage of the ex-president made moves to depart the Church since there was another function to be attended. Victoria stood up from her pew and started walking towards the special guests section followed by a frail looking white man, later identified as a store clerk managing the Toy Section of a local WALGREENS STORE. She unfurled an enlarged portrait of Mr. I.K. Acheampong. As she got within the security zone of the specially invited guests, security men accompanied by Reuben and others sprang into action. Without warning or provocation, Victoria slapped Reuben very hard on the face, breaking his spectacles as it crashed to the floor. Victoria was quickly hustled away and taken out of the church.

Parishioners do not visit violence on other worshippers within the hallowed premises of the house of God. Victoria Boateng's attack on Reuben Hadidze in the full glare of worshippers in the house of the Lord on July 30, 2006 is therefore unconscionable. The NPP Minister of Culture, Mr. S. K. Boafo, was also in attendance. By her actions, Victoria proved that she did not respect the Honorable Minister and the authority of his office; above all, her violence in a house of worship also showed that she has little respect or esteem for the Lord God Himself.

Benchmark two: Christians are clear in their opinion that it is only the devil or the spawn of the devil that would cause violence in a Church during prayers. Victoria Boateng achieved the unenviable title of the 'devil' or the devil's daughter when she made good on her promise to slap Reuben which she did in front of the whole congregation on Sunday July 30, 2006 following the festival. Would she seek absolution one day before she meets her maker? Can she refuse to be contrite and pay her debts to society if the Court convicts her?

MEDIATION EFFORTS

Ghanaian tradition requires elders to mediate in situations like this case. Chiefs and elders have attempted resolution. The National Council has done similarly. Albert Boateng called from Florida to plead for his daughter. The brother of Victoria Boateng, a chief in Chicago has also prevailed to no avail calling on his sister to write an apology letter and pay for the cost of the broken eye-glasses which is a mere $110.00. All these interventions have fallen through due to the recalcitrance of Victoria Boateng who has told intermediaries that she has a fear of embarrassment and a morbid fear that an apology letter written by her will be made public. Hence, the stalemate and escalation through the Court process.

ENTER GHANA'S DAILYGUIDE & CRUSADING GUIDE

The Daily Guide and the Crusading Guide newspapers in Ghana, known to be wings of the ruling NPP government twisted the events in Chicago and gave it political undertones. They published a salacious item with a blaring headline that reported that ex-President Rawlings had been 'chased' out of a Chicago Church. This opened a political soap-box or fodder for nation-wide discourse. The local radio stations were bombarded by callers with political opinions on the matter whether or not they were in possession of the real facts. The Office of the ex-President was called on to refute the claims that the ex-President was 'chased' out of the Chicago Church as well as unfounded allegations of those political pundits on the matter.

Much has been made of a Subpoena to ex-President Rawlings with regard to Victoria Boating's arraignment October 16, 2006 for assaulting Reuben Hadidze. Do Ghanaians know that the subpoena was issued by Victoria Boateng's lawyers acting as the accused's legal defenders? Who will pay for the flight, hotel, per diem allowances and security for ex-President Rawlings? How about warm clothing allowance? It must be remembered that the ex-President is not the accused person before the court. It is Victoria Boateng who is the accused. It is Victoria Boateng who is trying to mount the defense of insanity or provocation provided she can prove she is the daughter of the late Mr. I.K. Acheampong (Is she not capable of conjuring a Birth Certificate issued more than 30 years after her birth? Nothing is beyond Victoria) If she is the daughter of Albert Boateng, as increasingly appears to be the case, why is she falsely representing herself as Acheampong's daughter and deceiving everybody except the law in Chicago.

Be that as it may, what is this legal creature called ?Subpoena? that is on the lips of Ghanaians lately?

THE SUBPOENA

A subpoena is a court order requiring a person's appearance. It is also called a summons in some jurisdictions. Two types of Subpoenas are: 1) Subpoena duces tecum-which is a court summons to appear and produce tangible evidence for use at a hearing or trial. A subpoena duces tecum is a specific form of subpoena requiring that a person bring certain documents or other evidence to the court , and 2) Subpoena ad testificandum, similar to the other subpoena, but this includes clauses to bring in hand books, papers, etc. for the court. It is used to compel the testimony of witnesses in a trial or other adversarial proceeding. Subpoenas are issued by the clerk of the court in the name of the judge presiding over the case in which the witness is to testify. Additionally, court rules often permit lawyers to issue subpoenas themselves in their capacity as officers of the court, but the subpoena must bear the official stamp of the court. A law firm in Chicago, Ubio O'Neal and Associates claiming to represent Victoria Boateng, had sent a subpoena notice to ex-President Rawlings. That summons is now under investigation by the Authorities as it does not seem to bear the official stamp of the court. The hue and cry that the Subpoena has generated in Ghana is only because of local Ghanaian politics where antagonists of the ex-President are simply making political nuisance of themselves. Was it not the lawyers for Victoria Boateng who must have issued the subpoena, in all probability to cause political embarrassment which would be in consonance with the purpose of Victoria Boateng in this whole saga? Working in concert with anti-Rawlings forces in Ghana, Lawyers for Victoria Boateng may have managed to send advance notice of their self-prepared subpoena on the Ghana Embassy in Washington D.C. for publication in government-affiliated newspapers, even before the ex-president?s office had received notice.

A valid subpoena has to be on the letterhead of the court where the case is lodged, naming the parties to the case, and addressed by name to the person whose testimony is being sought. It will contain the generic language "You are hereby commanded to report in person to the clerk of this court" or similar, describing the specific location and scheduled date and time of the appearance. Some issuing jurisdictions include an admonishment advising the subject of the criminal penalty for failure to comply with a subpoena, and reminding him or her not to leave the court facilities until excused by a competent authority.

Issuance of subpoenas for proceedings in the United States district courts is governed by Rule 45 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Many state courts in the US have adopted Rule 45 or similar procedures. In certain US jurisdictions which have de-emphasized the use of foreign words and phrases in court terminology, this type of subpoena is also called a "subpoena for production of evidence".

Wouldn't it be ugly if children and relatives of Ya-Na, Alhaji Molbilla, or impostors behave irresponsibly towards a personality in the future in similar manner like Victoria Boateng, whose only actual claim to fame is her impressive ability to con and manipulate those who listen to her?

Victoria's various lies and deceptions, her willingness to resort to violence, her lack of respect for the dignity of her fellow countrymen all point to a woman who is desperate for some form of attention and monetary reward. On October 16, 2006, she will have to stand before a court of law, and swear, under penalty of imprisonment for perjury, to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. While she has shown a predisposition towards lies, one can only hope that the fear of prison will compel Ms. Boateng/Acheampong to tell the truth regarding the facts of the case. Once this truth is revealed, the remaining question then becomes whether Victoria is the sole instigator of this sorry state of affairs, or whether Victoria Boateng/Acheampong is herself a front for a far more powerful cabal of anonymous politicians with some kind of political axe to grind.