Dead at NRC hearing

Dead witness suffered from cardio-myopathy - NRC

Witness collapses while giving evidence at the NRC

Dead witness suffered from cardio-myopathy - NRC

Accra (Greater Accra) 06 June 2003 - Joseph Kwodwo Ampah, 76, the Witness who collapsed on Thursday during his testimony at the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC), and died later "suffers from cardio-myopathy contracted from prison".

His body has since been deposited at the 37 Military Hospital Mortuary, Dr Ken Agyemang Attafuah, Executive Secretary of the Commission told the Ghana News Agency (GNA).

He said the Ridge Hospital, where the body of Mr Ampah was initially sent, said there was a problem with its mortuary. Dr Attafuah said Ampah looked hale and hearty, and was accompanied to the Commission by his son, two brothers in-law and the Pastor of his church.

He said Ampah, domiciled in London, was to go back in mid-June. He was listed for hearing next Thursday, but it was recommended that his evidence was fast tracked to enable him to go back to London as he had scheduled.

Dr Attafuah confirmed there was no stand-by doctor for the Commission.

GRi.../

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Witness collapses while giving evidence at the NRC

Accra (Greater Accra) 05 June 2003 - A witness at the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC), Joseph Kojo Ampah, collapsed while giving his testimony on Thursday morning and later died, Mr Justice Amoah Sekyi, Chairman of the Commission has said.

According to the Chairman, he died while being rushed to a hospital. The Chairman did not indicate which hospital he was being conveyed to.

Ampah, a barrister-at-law in London, collapsed from his seat barely two minutes after he had began his testimony.

He was narrating his story of an incident, which occurred when he arrived home from London in 1982 to spend a six-week holiday.

Witness said he contracted someone to bring gold to his father-in-law, a goldsmith in Ghana, to prepare some jewellery for his wife and the grandchildren.

He said the remaining pieces of gold, which were not used, were kept in his bag together with the Jewellery, which he was sending to London.

Ampah said he was cleared at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) and while waiting at the departure lounge, three young men believed to be members of the then Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), approached and invited him to the State House for questioning on some cars he had brought from Britain.

Witness said from the State House, they saw a car, which flashed its light on them to stop. Ampah said the car stopped nearer to the vehicle on which they were, and then came out Flt-Lt.Jerry John Rawlings. The three men then said: "This is the man who bought the gold".

At this juncture in his testimony, Ampah fell off from his seat onto the floor. After a moment when he was not getting up, sympathizers including the Commissioners, rushed in to help him get up.

There were shouts for a medical officer but none was around so Ampah was rushed to the hospital and incidentally, died on the way.

In his written statement, made available to the press, Mr Ampah, a barrister, who had lived in England with his family since 1954, and worked as a civil servant in Her Majesty's Civil Service, said his pension rights had suffered considerably by reason of his imprisonment in Ghana.

He also prayed for compensation for suffering three months unlawful detention. Ampah had also requested to be compensated for the loss of his two Datsun cars, and further prayed the Commission to call Addo-Aikins, Chairman of a public tribunal that tried him in December 1982, to retract a "false statement" he made against him and to render an apology.

Ampah said he arrived in Ghana from England in September 1982. On his return on October 19, 1982, he was approached at the departure lounge by three men belonging to the then National Defence Committee (NDC), a para-military organisation, who questioned him about two Datsun cars he had brought into the country.

They aborted his flight to London and took him to the State House for further questioning.

The statement said at the State House, the NDC men searched him and discovered three small pieces of gold valued at 7,000 cedis, by then, by the value of a government assayer, adding that his father-in-law, a goldsmith had made a few jewellery for his daughter and his grandchildren.

He said from the State House, he was taken back to the Airport and handed over to some army personnel stationed there. They assaulted him till he became unconscious, "his suit soaked with blood."

In a supporting statement, Mr Ampah stated further that after soldiers had beaten him on the night of October 19, 1982 he was taken to go and meet former President Jerry John Rawlings.

"What he told me was that why was I taking the gold to England when they needed money to buy drugs for the hospitals. I was taken to meet Rawlings in the company of Attiogbe and Mr Bediako."

Ampah said on Octobner 20 1982, he was brought again to the State House at about 0130 hours and put on an open veranda, which became his abode for two weeks. He was given no blanket, and he slept on his suit.

"He had no tooth brush, soap, and would occasionally defecate on newspapers in the night because the offices had been locked and the officers gone home.

At weekends, he had no food from his relations in Accra, because the offices were locked, and no one could gain entry." He said before he was eventually moved to the Osu Police Station, Army personnel came at mid-day and assaulted him.

On one occasion they gave him a shave, leaving some of the hair sticking out. They used an old razor blade that cut him during the shaving, leaving him in excruciating pain.

Ampah said he was taken to an Army establishment, where a young corporal hit him with the butt of his gun till blood oozed out. He was also taken to other military establishments, for maltreatment.

At one of the establishments, one Sergeant severely attacked him. Mr Ampah said sometimes, he was put in a car and left in the mid-day sun in the courtyard with the windows of the car rolled up.

Ampah said his luggage, which had been sent to London on the day he was to travel were returned to Ghana because the NDC men said they had had information that he was carrying bars of gold to England.

He said he was made to carry his luggage on his head one by one to the sixth floor for examination but nothing was found.

Ampah said he was put before a public tribunal chaired by Addo-Aikins on December 2, 1982 for unlawful possession of gold, doing an act with  intent to sabotage the economy of Ghana.

His two Datsun cars, licensed by the Tema Police were impounded by the NDC under the command of Anthony Attiogbe and Alex Dawutey.

"Addo-Aikins as Chairman of the tribunal lied about me in open court to secure my conviction. The statement made by him in paragraph three of his judgement was not true.

Ampah said he was sentenced to 17 years' imprisonment with hard labour but was later reduced to eight years after an appeal.

He said he was released in 1988 from the Nsawam Security Prison, but had then served three months more than legally allowed.

His petition was first addressed to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice on the authority of former President Rawlings on June 9 1999.

GRi…/

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