Vanderpuye's trial starts afresh

Accra, July 25, GNA - Trial of Nii Lantey Vanderpuje, a prospective National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate for Odododiodoo Constituency in Election 2004 and two others, who were charged with electoral fraud, was on Monday re-started at a Circuit Court in Accra.
The trial was restarted because the three accused persons refused to adopt the earlier court proceedings after the trial judge had resigned. The facts and charges were read again to the three accused persons. Nii Lantey, a former Broadcast Journalist with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, pleaded not guilty to abetment of crime.
His accomplices, Musah Fuseini also known as Alhaji Musah and Gariba Mohammed, were also charged for registering voters without authority. They were to be on their former bail of 30 million cedis each with a surety each. They are to reappear on August 8, 2005. Prosecuting, Mr Augustines Obuor, an Assistant State Attorney, said Fuseini was a friend to Nii Lantey.
Mr Obuor said a day before the end of the photo-taking exercise Nii Lantey instructed Fuseini to recruit some people to do photo-registration for him.
The Prosecutor said Fuseini recruited Mohammed and five other boys, who are now at large and sent them to his residence.
The Prosecution said Fuseini led the boys to the residence of Nii Lantey at H/No 583/3 in North Swalaba.
Mr Obuor also said Nii Lantey told the boys he wanted them to help him in the photo exercise and gave them registration slips thumb printed with different names.
Fuseni later sent the slips away but some of the recruited boys protested.
Prosecution said other recruited boys, however, went to the Korlewokor polling station and took their photographs and returned to Nii Lantey's residence.
Nii Lantey in his appreciation offered them 100,000 cedis. Prosecution said two of the boys disclosed this to the then Member of Parliament for Odododiodoo Constituency and he also reported the matter to the Police.