Crime

Policeman in court for bumping motorcycle into Times vehicle

The La District Motor Court will on Wednesday, April 24, 2019, hear the case in which a policeman, General Sergeant Ebenezer Akrofi, allegedly ran an unregistered motorcycle into the Nissan Micra saloon vehicle belonging to New Times Corporation (NTC) on March 14, 2019.

At the last sitting, Gen Sgt Akrofi pleaded not guilty to all the charges preferred against him including riding without insurance policy, careless and inconsiderate riding and was granted GH¢6,000 bail with a surety.

 The NTC has been fined 45 penalty units equivalent to GH¢540.00 for the use of uninsured vehicle and failure to change ownership of vehicle from Japan Motors to New Times Corporation.

The corporation was fined because its insurers, Hollard Insurance Company failed to inform the NTC on the expiry of the insurance cover of the vehicle involved in the accident.

Although the moving vehicle did not have insurance, two of the corporation’s grounded vehicles with registration numbers GX 5116-10 and GX 8970-09 had been insured by Hollard to expire on January 4, 2020.

 The insurance company is refusing to accept a third party claim (property damage or injury) by NTC, and a communication received from Hollard affirmed that the insurers would not pay a third party claim.

Meanwhile, Police Inspector Paul Osei Adjei, prosecuting, told the court presided by Mrs Juliet Osei-Duedu that the policeman allegedly used a forged number plate.

He said on March 14, this year, Akrofi was riding the unregistered scooter from Accra Regional Headquarters towards Accra High Court.

Insp Adjei said on reaching a section of the road, in front of the Accra Technical University, near the Ghana Publishing traffic light, all vehicles including the one with registration No. GT 7015-16, being driven by a staff of NTC stopped because the light had indicated red.

Insp. Adjei said the accused who was riding in-between the vehicles failed to ride with due care and attention and in the process, grazed the offside portion of the Nissan Micra saloon car with registration No. GT 7015-16, causing damage to the offside view mirror, front bumper and nearside headlamp buttons and sped off.

The court heard that the accused was chased by Xornam Jiagge, a rider and arrested at the Kinbu traffic light.

The prosecutor told the court that General Sgt Akrofi presented the scooter to the police as the accident motor cycle but upon interrogation, the accused said, he found the number plate in the bag of the accident motorcycle and decided to fix it on.

He said a letter was sent to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), where it was found out that the number plate belonged to Royal Motors Limited and not Kymco Scooter motorcycle.

BY MALIK SULLEMANA 

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