Breaking News: President’s basher convicted

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Thomas Osei, the man who drove his Benz car into President Kufuor’s official car on November 14, 2007, has been convicted to a nine months prison term.

Osei who has since the accident been in custody, however, has only nine days more to spend in prison, his sentence having started since his arrest.

The Fast Track High Court in Accra found Thomas Osei guilty of dangerous driving, causing damage to state property and negligently causing harm.

The court did not agree with the prosecution’s case that Thomas Osei was a drug user and on the day of the accident in question, was driving under the influence of alcohol.

The court, presided by Justice Samuel Diwuoh also imposed fines on Thomas Osei. He is to pay 200 penalty units for dangerous driving, (a penalty unit equals GH¢12), another 2000 units for causing damage to the President’s car (a state property) and 150 units for negligently causing harm.

Moments after the sentence, counsel for Thomas Osei, Lawyer Kwame Boafo Akuffo, told Joy News correspondent, Bernard Shaibu, that he was extremely happy with the sentence.

He said he had also disputed the prosecution’s claim that his client was a drug user and it was also not true that he was driving under the influence of alcohol and he was happy the trial judge found how porous the prosecution’s case was.

Kwame Akuffo said his client was apologetic for the discomfiture the accident brought to the president and the general populace and would seek an appropriate forum to render that apology.

The prosecution, led by a Principal State Attorney, Mr Edward Agyeman Duodu, also expressed satisfaction about the judgement.

The prosecution had told the court that at about 10:30am on November 14, Osei, who was driving a Mercedes Benz SE 500 saloon car with registration number GT 2989 W was in the inner lane along the South Liberation Link from AFGO towards the 37 Military Hospital.

When he arrived at the Opeibea traffic light, he ignored the siren of the presidential convoy and drove straight into the rear offside portion of the president's Mercedes Benz 550 saloon car.

The prosecution said the impact forced the president's vehicle to spin around and hit a light pole on the central reserve.

The President's vehicle fell on its right side and landed on a VW Golf saloon car with registration number GW 8750 K driven by one Pastor Ken Joe Osei Kuffuor, who was driving from 37 Military Hospital.

Author: Isaac Yeboah

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